


The Academy Years

by WardsGirl



Series: Scarlett: Grant's Redemption Story [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Original Timeline Movies)
Genre: F/M, Grant Ward Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-03-21 21:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WardsGirl/pseuds/WardsGirl
Summary: Grant Ward is finally at the Operations Academy forShield. Garrett's instructions were simple: no contact and to fit in. What Garrett failed to do was warn him about one particular cadet. How was Grant supposed to proceed when he'd spotted her in his survival training class? Not that he really needed it to begin with.Scarlett Coulson is the youngest member of the Carter family and the lastShieldlegacy of the family to attend the Operations Academy. She had no intentions of doing anything crazy. She'd graduated MIT with an engineering degree and just wanted to make it through the Academy so she could start working forShield. Little did she know, she was in for way more than she'd ever planned on."He’s broken, but you love him anyway.Not because you want to fix him,But because he’s the only oneWho knows you’re just as broken as him."-- Unknown (but I would love to give proper credit if someone would let me know!)





	1. This is definitely not protocol.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my route for a Grant Ward redemption story. I hope you enjoy. If not, then feel free to exit now. If you don't like who I'm shipping him with, then again please feel free to exit now. You will have noticed - if you watched Agents of Shield close enough - that I have tweaked some things for the benefit of this piece. Please don't point them out. I know they're wrong, but to make this all logistically fit together some things just had to be tweaked. Grant's backstory is still the same, just a little bit of time discrepancy.
> 
> And to be very honest every time I attempted to work out Grant's timeline on the show things just didn't add up - at least for me timeline wise. So where as no specific dates will be used in this story, I will make sure that you know where in the major life events fall.

**Prologue**

**This Is Definitely Not Protocol**

Grant felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he sat in his new apartment. He’d just spilled his guts out to Fury, thinking he’d be getting sent to the Fridge… Or worse. Scarlett had stayed with him, of course, being the same rock she had been when he’d told her the entire truth in Florence. Now was when the real work began. John had stopped by earlier just for a short visit before leaving him in the barely furnished place alone.

He looked down at his phone again, wondering how much longer he would be alone in the place. She’d promised to come over after she’d gotten settled in at her place and kicked everyone out. But then again, maybe she’d just used him to get herself higher up in…. Grant shook his head at the thought, getting up from the couch and heading to the bedroom. He still had unpacking to do and lingering on things he knew weren’t true. Scarlett cared otherwise she wouldn’t have probably almost gone to throttle Garrett for the black eye he was sporting.

He was deep into his unpacking when the door to his apartment finally opened and shut, her shoes clattering on the floor just inside the door as she slid them off. Paper bags rustled together as she moved around, dropping them in the kitchen he was certain. Then she was there, duffle bag in hand as she stood in the doorway to his bedroom.

“How’s your eye?” Her voice showed stress but he knew she wouldn’t talk about it… Not until she’d gotten sufficient answers from him. The bag rustled a little as she tucked it near the door, waiting for him.

“Better?” It sounded more like a question. He’d iced it when it had happened, just glad that Garrett hadn’t broken anything when he’d punched him. He’d been expected to come out on top instead of playing second fiddle to her when graduating. “To be honest, I’m just glad I’m not being thrown in some _Shield_ facility.”

“You trust me, don’t you?” Her smile was soft, reassuring and eased what little stress he was feeling away. “Now come on. I picked up groceries and Grace sent something for that black eye of yours.”

“How nice of her,” Grant was really grateful. Gracelynn and the rest of the family had basically accepted him with open arms - despite the little flaw of his prior **Hydra** allegiances. She turned, mouth posed to dig in when he quickly closed the gap between them. His arms wrapped around her tightly, drawing them close together. “Don’t. I didn’t mean it that way… Today has just been…”

“Stressful? Absolutely too long? Not filled with enough good food?” That earned her a real smile - not the fake one he tried to pass off usually. “Come on. Groceries need to be put up and _we_ need to eat something.”

“I’m definitely hungry.” Grant leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. “But definitely not for food.”

“Grant….” The warning tone to her voice just made him smile more as he picked her up and carried her towards the kitchen.

“Okay, okay…. We’ll feed you first.” Scarlett giggled the whole entire way, clinging to him until he sat her down on the bar. Hours passed as they normally did when he was with her and he’d almost forgotten the outside world even existed.

It was nearly midnight when Grant found himself standing at the window watching her sleep in his bed. They had a couple weeks to themselves before their assignments would start. He was thrilled by the aspect, but another part of him just wanted to stay there with her at the Hub. But they had to keep John’s suspicion off of them. Besides, John had applauded him - despite Scarlett’s status as his niece. She would have access to intel that even John didn’t have access to… And she’d be their mole without knowing it. Little did John actually know that any information Grant would proceed to feed him would be at Fury’s discretion.

“Grant,” her voice pulled him from his thoughts. He made his way back to the bed, crawling in beside her. “You okay?”

“Just fine.” His lips brushed against her forehead as she moved into his side. “Go back to sleep.”

“Only if you do.” Her voice betrayed her yet again, laced with sleep as she settled in. He would manage a few more hours at most before sneaking out to the gym. It was hard when he was scared he’d lose the first person he’d chosen to care about since Buddy.

 


	2. Magnet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Scarlett are slowly finding their footing at the Operations Academy and making their way through the courses, but what happens when Grant finally decides to act on the pull he's feeling between them despite his best attempts to ignore and avoid it? The poor boy is clueless to flirting with a woman he's actually attracted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from a song on the playlist for this ship. The song is "Magnet (feat. Dan Storm)" by Jilian Linklater. You can find the playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/125280568/playlist/1GMjhrSlbwhF4dK9g1Cf8k?si=koUrbapFT0aAbbE6O8JiQg) if you are interested in listening to any of the songs on there.

**Chapter One**

**"Magnet"**

Scarlett was far from nervous. It was a few weeks in and now the classes were getting down into their nitty gritty which meant Survival Training was actually starting to kick her ass. She could admit to that without a single problem. She honestly sucked at survival. Hell, her grandfather, uncle, and father had taken Gracelynn, Sharon, and her camping to try and teach them when they’d been younger. And well, Sharon had come out okay from it all while Grace and she had just picked up the basics and dealt with the fact that they would always suck at it on some level. _But_ Gracelynn had gotten better because of her academy training, so maybe with her own luck she’d learn a little more as well.

She was working on their assignment for the day quietly: starting a fire. Simple when she thought about it deep down, hard to apply when she actually went to do so. That was when Grant approached her. Of course, she knew who he was, but he usually kept far away from her. She’d seen him around the campus, but they’d never exactly talked. She felt like he was avoiding her on purpose like a lot of others seemed to, but now he was actively seeking her out.

“Need some help?” He asked, his fire already started beside them. Grant was actually frustrated with watching her try to do something so simple… _Wait a minute_ , he wasn’t supposed to be caring this much. John had said to make friends but no real attachments.

“Think Barton is going to be happy you offered?” She asked knowing full well that Clint Barton was watching her. Gracelynn had made sure that he and Natasha knew to put her through the ringer just like they had Sharon and her.

“Considering he hasn’t said a word…” Grant started but she quickly cut him off. She was good.

“No offense, Ward…. But I’d rather figure it out on my own.” She moved her hand just right this time, the leaves finally smoldering. “Besides, last thing I need is to seem like I can’t handle myself… Which I can.”

Scarlett quickly righted herself just as Clint made his rounds and Grant moved back to his spot. He almost seemed hurt by her words but she honestly didn’t care in that moment. She wanted to prove that she could do this just like Gracelynn and Sharon had, even if it was more for herself than anyone else. Grant wasn’t deterred, despite her attitude towards him. There was something about her that made him extremely curious about her.

It was during lunch that he tried again as she was sitting off alone on the lawn. She had friends… They were just busy being put through the obstacle course again because they hadn’t listened to her before they’d gone in. It was why she was glad that Gracelynn, Sharon, and herself had always liked to do obstacle courses when they’d been younger. To them, courses like that were easy to pick apart as they moved through them.

“Do you even know how to be nice, Coulson?” He asked sitting down next to her. She looked up from her book, mid-chew on a bite of burger. Swallowing, she just stared at him, wondering what had brought on this sudden need to conversate with her.

“It’s a competitive school, Ward… Do you expect me to just trust you?” She asked looking back down at her novel, trying her best to pretend he wasn’t there.

“Yeah, but how are you supposed to make allies if you aren’t nice?” He snatched her book, dogearring the page as he got up and started walking. “Come on. Follow me.”

“Hey!” She growled standing up and reaching for her book. She was suddenly painfully aware of their height difference.  “That’s.. Ward!”

“No, be nice.” He led her over to a nearby table, dropping her book on it. “Come on.”

She sighed grabbing her plate of food and following him. Scarlett was far from in the mood to deal with anyone that wasn’t from her small group of friends. But she sat down anyways, reaching to pick up her book again when he slid it further away.

“Now who’s not playing nice?” She asked looking at him.

“Quid pro quo. You be nice to me and I’ll be nice to you.”

“And what if I don’t want to be nice?” She asked looking up at him. Scarlett stared at him for a moment before knowing she probably wouldn’t win the argument. The pain of having a brain that could calculate things like that… Plus being able to read his mind… He was actually being sincere. “Sorry about earlier… I just..”

“You’re a _Shield_ legacy. Everyone knows it… They’re being harder on you because of it.”

“No special treatment.. Just getting your ass kicked harder.” She sighed no longer interested in her food. “And I’m a double legacy. Sucks when your mother’s mother is the founder of _Shield_.”

“I actually didn’t know that.” He moved off the tabletop to sit next to her.

“Yeah.. didn’t spend much time with them other than my cousins. Gracelynn and Sharon.” She sighed pushing her plate away now. Talking about it always seemed to make it worse. “She died when I was three. And don’t go apologizing.. Please.. It doesn’t hurt and I’m okay with it.”

“Still hurts to lose a parent.” Grant pushed her plate back at her. “Eat.”

“When you don’t have any memories it doesn’t. And I’m not hungry.” She answered grabbing her book and putting it in her bag. “Besides, I have to go run my three miles this afternoon. Better to have an empty stomach than end up puking like Grace always did.”

“So that’s your cousin.” Grant smiled, plucking a fry off of her plate. “Thought you two resembled one another when she was lecturing our weapons class the other day.”

“Oh you have her as an instructor? I thought Fury wouldn’t approve that move. My dad might be his good eye but she’s his unofficial right hand.” She took a fry off the plate, forcing herself to eat it. “I figured he wouldn’t let her teach.”

“Well he obviously is. You have her any?” Damn his curiosity and damn the way she pulled him in despite her apparent lack of interest in talking to him.

“No. I’m sure they made sure I didn’t end up with her on purpose. It’s not that she’d take it easy on me, it’s just.. I’ve had weapons training prior to the Academy so I’m not even going to have to take the class. Plus the tactical driving. I passed that as my driver’s license test.” Scarlett answered as she stood up and started to walk away.

Grant was left there with her plate of food to just watch as she disappeared into the throng of students. He was starting to see the downside of having been in the woods for as long as he had been. He was absolutely clueless with how to interact with a girl he was actually attracted to. He had most female cadets throwing themselves at him, but he was much more interested in the one that he’d thought best to avoid.

There was something broken about her - much like he was. Most would assume it would be the loss of her mother at such a young age, but Grant knew better. It took more than a simple loss to create a brokenness similar to his own. He was suddenly in uncharted territory. And it wasn’t like he could reach out to John for advice because she would be deemed a weakness. John didn’t like weaknesses, and Grant would be forced to do the one thing he didn’t want to do.

Grant just picked up the plate and dumped it before going to the gym. That was his go to when he didn’t know what to do about a situation. Punching things helped him figure out a tactical plan, not that dealing with Scarlett required any tactical strategy. He just needed to figure out how to either ignore the way being close to her made him feel or figure out how to get closer to her to see what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was a sticky one for me, mostly because I couldn't decide if I should include the next chapter with this one or make it stand alone. Plus, these two aren't always the most talkative of my muses when writing. Also remember that you can find the playlist for their ship - and where I'm going to try to pull as many titles for the chapters - [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/125280568/playlist/1GMjhrSlbwhF4dK9g1Cf8k?si=koUrbapFT0aAbbE6O8JiQg).


	3. Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Scarlett have been playing hit or miss for a solid week since first speaking to one another. But a late and uneventful Saturday night at the gym soon brings the two together and the magnetic draw between them shows its head again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter. I'm a full believer of long chapters broken up by short chapters. So here's your first long one. The song that inspired this chapter is "Fallen" by Emily West.

**Chapter Two**

**"Fallen"**

It was nearly a week after their lunch conversation that Scarlett bumped into Grant. Since then she’d been between avoiding him and wanting to seek him out. Scarlett had felt the pull between them when he’d first spoken to her, but she’d written it off as her not having dated a guy since she’d lost her virginity. She’d avoided males like the plague afterwards and had dated a slew of girls throughout high school and college. Oh, Scarlett had definitely “dated” - in the loosest use of the term - guys off and on but nothing more than the occasional movie or dinner.

It also didn’t help that he didn’t act gun shy around her like most people who didn’t understand. But he didn’t know that she was a mutant with telepathic and telekinetic abilities, so there was no real reason for him to be gun shy. Grant had tried multiple times to speak to her since their first conversation but it hadn’t been easy. His few attempts were either cut short or he never even had the attempt to start them. So he’d given up and stuck to the gym.

Scarlett had decided to just the same, planning to work out the frustrations of whether she should approach Grant or not when she bumped into him on her way there. And she _literally_ bumped into him, glad that she was good at catching herself or she’d have been on the ground.

Grant’s thoughts on the magnetism between them weren’t going well either. It was hard for him to admit that the girl got under his skin, but there was something about her. She was broken in the ways that he was. He wasn't the kind of guy who found himself obsessed with someone but he was obsessed with her. And apparently, he was supposed to get a second chance as he all but ran her over in the hall.

"Hey stranger," he flashed her a smile. "Haven't seen you around for a while? Been avoiding me?”

Scarlett looked up at him, trying to fight the blush down in her cheeks. The smile he had on his lips was enough to make her want to drop her plans. _What am I thinking?_ She thought to herself as she looked at him. They’d only spoken once, but there was that pull between them again now that she was around him. Scarlett had tried for days to just say it was some weird fluke, but here it was again.

“What? Avoiding you?” She had no idea how to play it cool. After the awkward busting every light in the house when she lost her virginity thing, she’d sworn off the male species. Granted, she enjoyed hanging out with Gracelynn and Steve. Plus it wasn’t hard to hang out with Clint, but they weren’t available. They were just friends…  Or siblings in Steve’s case. “I’ve been pretty busy. Romanoff’s been on my ass about my run the other day because my time wasn’t what she’d prefer it to be…. So I’ve been hitting the track for practice the last week or so.”

"You know that thing where you try and not see me," Grant tried to make a joke, but he honestly sucked at them. But he liked it when she smiled, it was completely genuine, unlike some people around here. "And trust me, my trainer is busting my ass as well. It's not easy here.”

“I know what it means.” She couldn’t help the soft giggle that bubbled from her throat. “And no it’s not. But then again, if I wanted easy I could have easily gone to communications. So here I am… And I was actually headed to take a spin on the treadmill.”

"Good because I was worried for a moment," he hoisted the bag on his shoulder as he looked at her. This place hadn't been like he was expecting, there was so much more. He cared more than he thought he would. "Need a workout buddy, I can spot you. I’m headed there anyways.”

“Well I wasn’t planning on lifting weights today… But I wouldn’t mind the company.” Yeah, she wasn’t sure if she was flirting or just actually _trying_ to be nice to him. Maybe it was just the fact that he made her feel normal and not some special person because her dad was literally labeled Fury’s good eye and her mother’s mother had founded _Shield_. She was just Scarlett. “Besides, who else is going to be up this late working out on a Saturday night? The gym is practically free game.”

"Good because am I the only one that finds the gym a little boring when I'm alone? It's good for blowing off steam but it's so much more fun to go with someone else." He was getting attached, and he knew it. But he couldn't help but be drawn to her.

“I usually just put my headphones in and listen to an audiobook while I run.” She shrugged as they started walking towards the gym, tucking her phone away into the pocket on her shorts before pinning tucking her braid into a bun. “I think I just like it because there’s no one staring. I hate feeling like I’m being watched. It’s bad enough as it is with them having the cameras watching us plus the staff. Which is why I can’t wait until our week off during Christmas.”

"Whatever works," Grant nodded as he walked with her. He usually played something with a good beat to keep him going. Some days he would just train until he collapsed. "Going anywhere special?" He asked knowing that more likely than not he would be here for it.

“Probably New York to visit my cousin. Dad will most likely be off working somewhere, so I’ll go visit her in Brooklyn with her boyfriend. It’s better than staying here or going home and being alone.” Scarlett sighed as they finally reached the gym. “By Christmas I’m going to need a break from Romanoff and her superior officer persona.”

Grant nodded, that would make sense. "Hope you have fun," he offered her a rueful smile. He didn't say that Christmas would probably be crappy this year, even though to think of it he couldn't remember when Christmas had been good.

“New York is fun during Christmas. The big tree lighting at Rockefeller Square, ice skating at Central Park.” She hopped up on one of the treadmills, starting it out slow. “Plus the museums all do special holiday exhibits. Of course there’s the _Doctor Who_ Christmas specials as well. The crappy part about being stuck here. No TV.”

"I can't say I've ever been," Grant said with a shrug. Maybe one day he would, but that wouldn't be this year and he told himself he was okay with that. "I hope you have fun, make up for how boring this place can be sometimes.”

"I usually just end up roaming around by myself because Steve and Grace are too into one another to care." She upped the speed on the treadmill to her normal tempo. Part of her wanted to delve into Grant’s choice to focus on her, but she let it go for the moment. "But that's how it is when you love someone as much as they seem to love one another I guess. I suppose there's a plus that I can go do whatever I want no questions asked."

She was rambling now, uncertain what to talk about with Grant. He knew about her family. She'd told him about her mom dying when she was young and that her father was hardly ever home. But they hadn’t really ever talked about his - though she knew the gist of it.

"Ah," Grant nodded as he ran alongside her. He wondered what it was like to actually have family that cared. "Being able to do what you want is always nice, I like the freedom of it.”

She noticed he had tensed a little at her last line, finally asking him about his plans. "What about you? Already planning your first week of freedom from this place? Or are you going to stay here, 007?" She couldn't help the Bond reference because that's really who Grant Ward reminded her of.

"I'm staying here," Grant laughed and shook his head. "It's not like I have any other choice, it's not like my family is going to welcome me back with open arms or anything." He couldn’t help but grit his teeth together at the thought, speeding up the treadmill as well.

“There is a such thing as training too much, ya know.” Scarlett commented, thinking for a moment about him being here, alone. Most everyone went home to see their families during the holidays so he’d pretty much be here with someone who was designated to be here with all the cadets. It also didn’t help that Grace and herself were always adopting people into the family.

“I know it’s pretty far off right now, but you could come with me. Grace’s place is plenty big enough. You don’t have to say yes now, but think about it.” She slowed her treadmill down, moving to get off. “Better than staying here when everyone else is out having fun. Plus I doubt your family can be that mean… Though I remember one year Grams refused to let Tony come to Christmas because he was drunk.”

This wasn't part of the plan, getting attached. It would make it harder to betray everyone when the time came. "I'll think about it," Grant nodded even if he knew he should say no. What would she think of him if he told her what he was really doing here? "As long as she would be okay with it, don't want you showing up with a random guy. What would she think?”

“Grace keeps telling me to bring friends so I’m not ‘so lonely’ as she likes to put it.” Scarlett answered toweling down and grabbing a water from the nearby cooler they kept in the training room. “All the friends I have she already knows and they’re usually there anyways because their her friends as well. And I don’t care so much about when we all get together because I end up in the guest room alone watching Christmas movies or I escape into the city since the noise gets to me. And she won’t think anything of it. I have maybe one friend that’s female.. All the rest are guys.”

Grant didn't say anything for a moment, if anything this felt like it was to be a turning point. Garrett had told him how _Shield_ had left him for dead, but he was also seeing how it took care of its own. Slowing the treadmill to a stop he hopped off and moved to grab a bottle of water. "I guess I can understand that," he nodded as he took a drink. "I'll let you know soon, promise.”

“Good. Wanna take a round on the mats? I’m a little rusty and I hear Barton’s going to have us doing sparring matches next week.” Scarlett smiled knowing that she might just have an edge on him. He didn't know about her powers so it wasn’t exactly _unfair_ for her to use them in a practice match. Well at least not to her.

"Sure," Grant nodded as a smile spread across his face. Fighting was one of things he was best at since he had won most of his fights against the other students. The teachers not so much. "I'm down for a couple of rounds.”

Scarlett’s smile grew a little more as she grabbed her towel and headed for the mats. She tossed her phone down before starting to wrap her hands. “Don’t take it easy on me either. I’ve taken down guys bigger than you before.” She quite enjoyed the look on Steve Rogers face when she’d done it to him… And that had been without her powers.

Grant ran a hand through his messy hair as he moved to follow her, his eyes moving over her body. He would be lying if he said his mind wasn't thinking about what she might be like in bed. _Dammit. Stop thinking about it!_ It wasn’t in either of their best interests for Grant to even entertain the idea of ever managing that. He was almost certain it would never happen though. She seemed like the kind of girl who would follow the “No Fraternization” policy to the letter.

"Probably no one nearly as skilled as me," he bragged with a smile.

Scarlett moved to the mats to start her stretching. "The Calvary is my aunt. I literally got into martial arts because of her  She looked up through her bangs waiting for his reaction. Most guys got scared which meant there wouldn't be any practice. But for some reason, she knew that it would be more of a challenge for Grant Ward.

"Oh?" Grant's smile only got wider at her words. The chance to learn from someone like that would be amazing, hell he would take any third hand knowledge he could get. "Well then consider me very intrigued.”

"Good. You're not intimidated by that." She stood up now, stretching her arms out. "Most guys turn and run when they hear that. Aunt Melinda's..... I don't think there's really words to describe her." She admitted, moving into her boxing stance and waiting for him to be ready.

"I mean there is a 50/50 chance I end up on the mat," Grant pushed himself hard and was one of the best in his class but he might have been a little generous in his percentages. "Honestly it's a little hot if a girl can kick my ass. I like women who can defend themselves.”

"Does it make me hotter if I told you I can also disassemble and reassemble a rifle in less than a minute?" She smirked. That had been her grandfather, Daniel Sousa’s, teaching in his old age. "Come on, Ward. Let's see what you've got.”

"You have no idea how turned on that sentence makes me," Grant laughed and shook his head. Moving closer he wanted to gauge her reaction time. "You asked princess," he said as he threw the first punch.

Scarlett was already in his head, seeing his punch coming. She'd let him get close enough before dodging. She couldn't let him think she was cheating now, could she? She took a quick breath before grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. "No princess. I like to think of myself in more humbler terms.”

Honestly Grant wasn't sure what happened, suddenly it seemed he was on his back. The air rushing out of his lungs in one gasp. This wasn't going as expected. "Like what?" He asked out of breath.

"Eh. Dad calls me kiddo. I'm shortest of the family." She was barely 5'5" in comparison to Sharon at 5'8" and Grace at 5'7". "There's also baby girl... I watch too much Criminal Minds." She reached down to help him up, giving him a small opening that she hoped he might just take. "Others that the other Howling Commandos' grandkids call me that are far too inappropriate.”

"No offense to any of those people," Grant said reaching out for her hand. "I don't think you want me calling you baby girl." The name only served the purpose of calling images to mind that made him want to find some place on the campus that the cameras weren’t. He quickly took advantage of the opening she left, tugging her towards him.

Scarlett let him, rolling perfectly onto her back. She knew how to play games better than most. "And why is that, Ward?" Color her curious, but Grant didn't seem like the type to be interested in the girls at the Academy. Or at least not her. But he was basically flirting with her, though she would admit she was instigating some of it.

In a moment or two he was on top of her, and he knew it was a horrible idea. It's not like he could do anything here. The campus had far too many cameras, and he would only hurt her in the end. But he couldn't bring himself to break it off. "Because I don't want to put you in an awkward position," he said looking down at her. "And those words give me ideas, not always ideas that you might like.”

He had her pinned, exactly like she knew he would. She’d stopped peeking into his thoughts after the first punch, finding him easy to read. He was almost as predictable as Grace. She slowly raised her knee up, managing to wedge it between them and shoving him off.

"Maybe I'd like those ideas... you ever think of that." She was on her feet again, her back turned to him. "And you only think you're putting me in an awkward..." She never got the last word out as he put her on the mat again.

Grant laughed as she pushed him onto his back. If they weren't constantly being watched, maybe then he would have done something. But even she wasn't worth all the people he would attract, at least not at the moment. "Maybe you would," he said one hand reaching for her leg, pulling her back down with him.

She couldn't help but laugh, having caught herself to soften the impact on the mat. If that's the game he wanted to play, well then she had no objections. "I think I just might." She replied as she turned to face him. "Shall we test that theory?”

Grant moved up into a sitting position, wondering if it was incredibly obvious how hard he was at the moment. "I mean I’m game if you are," he smiled at her. "Just maybe not in a place filled with cameras.”

"Shall we move this party elsewhere then?" She was resting back on her elbows now, watching him closely. Part of her really just wanted to continue their little match, seeing how long she could tease him before he broke. She usually did the same with Steve just to see if she could throw him off his game, but sadly that wasn’t an option here. _Damn the stupid cameras_.

"Your place or mine?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. He wouldn't back down unless she asked him to and so far she hadn’t. And on some level, Grant was actually worried she would back down and change her mind. On the one hand, it would be safest for her to never get involved with him, but he was as much a part of it just as she was. Then there was the other hand that couldn’t seem to resist the pull between them.

"Which one is closer?" She couldn't help herself.  Grant Ward was under her skin.... and she was starting to realize that she was falling for him.

"My place probably," Grant answered, hoping that he wouldn't get Barton or Romanoff knocking on his door tomorrow. The no fraternizing rule was one of the worst.

"Then what are we waiting for?" She quickly got up to her feet, tearing at the wraps on her hands. "And don't worry about us getting caught. I have it in good authority from my cousin that Clint and Nat are on direct assignment from Fury. Won't be back til Monday.”

Grant shook his head as he stood up, running a hand through his messy hair. What was he doing? This would only end bad. But he couldn't stop himself around her.

"That’s a weight off my shoulders, was a little worried I would become target practice after this.”

"Nope. Sharon is the one you have to watch for.... not like her and Grace didn't have fun while they were here. Sneaking to town and smuggling alcohol in here." She quickly got the wraps off of her hands, tossing them in a trash can as she made her way back to her gym bag.

Grant tossed off his own wraps and cracked a knuckle, moving to grab his things. Garrett would probably scold him for getting attached like this, but he didn’t care. "Good to know," he nodded.

Scarlett grabbed her phone and water, downing the rest of the bottle before tossing it and then grabbing her towel. "Trust me they're the wild children in my family. Me? Im innocent by comparison.”

Grant couldn't help but smile at her words, what was so innocent about what they were about to do? "Come on babygirl," he said teasingly as he grabbed his bag. "Let's get a move on.”

"Lead the way, 007." She waited for him as started to wonder if this was a good idea. She couldn’t exactly back out without seeming like… Well a flake. And she was most _definitely_ not a flake.

"Coming," Grant laughed and shook his head as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

Fall had essentially just started getting cooler, and the breeze sent chills down Scarlett’s spine. Grant was enjoying it though, used to it after the years in the woods learning what Garrett wanted him to. It didn't take them long to get to Grant's dorm room. He most definitely lived closer to the gym than she did. Scarlett thought for a minute she might have to make this a thing on nights when she wanted to workout. She looked around, noticing how bare it was. "Good thing you didn't suggest my room... we probably wouldn't have ever found the bed." To admit she was messy was an understatement.

Grant set his bag down when they got into his - basically- empty room. He kept it clean mostly because he didn't really have much. He came to _Shield_ with a couple of changes of clothes and a crappy pair of converse, that was it. Everything else had been provided for him. "I like things to be orderly," he said with a shrug as he watched her.

"I do too. But I'm hardly ever in my room so I don't have time to clean it." Scarlett answered as she slid her shoes off near the door. It was a force of habit for her whenever she went to someone's place because everyone was so weird about what they preferred. She could feel his eyes lingering on her as she started moving around his room.

Typically she would have already started snooping but Grant had nothing to snoop. No pictures of his family, no hobbies. There was a stack of books but she recognized most of the titles. They were books she’d read out of boredom when visiting Grace that Garrett had gotten them both to read. Other than that, Grant’s room was as blank as hers had been when she’d first arrived on campus.

“So…” Grant’s voice almost sounded timid as she continued to look around.

Scarlett turned around to face him, seeing that he was still standing where he had been when they’d come in. Grant wasn’t sure what to do now. Well, he did with girls he wasn’t fully interested in. But the pull between the two of them had been undeniable and he wasn’t sure how to move forward now that they were out of the sight of the cameras. She wasn’t sure either, but there was no way he would know because of how she carried herself.

She made her way over to him, peeling the thin shirt she’d worn over her head and letting it drop to the floor. His hands were resting at his side, watching her closely as she reached over to shut the door that he’d left standing open. Not that he really noticed much with her standing there in front of him half naked. Though it shouldn’t have mattered because he’d just seen her dressed the same way when they’d been sparring.

“Cat got your tongue?” She asked looking up at him now. Suddenly he realized how short she was in comparison to himself. How hadn’t he noticed that before?

“Maybe.” Grant’s cheek flushed a little.

What did not having the cameras watching do to him? He was confident. Girls fell over themselves to get close to him usually but Scarlett was the direct opposite of all of them. Deep down, Grant knew that she could take care of herself if put in a situation that required her to. He also knew that betraying her could get him killed. But here he was, alone in his dorm room with her.

Scarlett felt the subtle flinch when she touched his arms. He was shocked by how amazingly soft her hands were. Even his mother’s had never been like that when he’d been a child. And, well, his grandmother’s had been kind and gentle but wrinkled from the few memories he had. All he could truly focus on were her hands as they found the hemline of his shirt and tugged it over his head. It was as if he’d come to his senses as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up to even out their heights.

Her damned giggle of surprise sent a shiver through him before he silenced her with his lips. She was just as eager, her fingers slipping into his hair as he moved towards the bed. Scarlett was overwhelmed as his hands were everywhere, his lips kissing down her jaw to her neck. It was when he got to the top of her shorts that she found her voice again.

“Stop.” Her hands had mussed his hair up even more, and there was confusion painted on his face. “I… Can we just slow down?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm a horrible person and left you all with a cliffhanger. Please don't worry. I'm hoping to have chapter three ready tomorrow evening and posted to give you a resolution to Scarlett's request.


	4. Unsteady Yet So Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of the debacle from last chapter and a lazy Sunday spent together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song inspiration for this chapter is the mashup "Unsteady/So Alive" by Haley Klinkhammer. It is on the playlist as well and you can find the link to that in Chapter 1.

**Chapter Three**

**"Unsteady Yet So Alive"**

Grant stared at her, almost certain that the confusion running through his lust raddled brain was painted clearly on his face. She wanted to slow down? They’d barely even started to get undressed and she wanted to  _ slow down _ ? That was when Grant noticed the look on her face. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts, and he now noticed that she almost looked panicked. The breath he’d been holding finally slid out as he moved back up her body, hands brushing past her cheeks so that they could quickly find the end of her braid to let her hair down. His kiss was slow and soft this time, washing the panic from her face. He just couldn’t handle being the reason she looked that way.

“We can go as slow as you want.” He didn’t think she was a virgin. Actually he doubted the idea in its entirety. It just wasn’t a possibility. “You’re in charge.”

He didn’t mind, of course. Well, at least not in this situation. She was holding something back, not sharing it with him. Grant couldn’t blame her though. All operatives for  _ Shield _ were required to compartmentalize almost everything that could give the enemy the advantage. 

Scarlett let out a shaky breath, fully aware that he was still hovering over her. This wasn’t like when she’d had nightmares as a child and Daniel had hovered until she’d calmed down to a lullaby that Peggy would sing to her. Or when she’d awaken to her room shaking when spending summers with Grace at the Institute. That was the crapshoot of not having true control over her telekinesis. 

“You might regret saying that.” She finally replied. It felt like an eternity since Grant had heard her speak now. He pressed his forehead to hers, stealing a soft kiss.

“There are a lot of things I’m sure I’m going to regret, baby girl… But I don’t think I’m going to regret what’s going on between us.” It was true. He regretted everything in his life, including his existence. She made him feel like he mattered on some level even though he knew that he shouldn’t feel that way with her. But damn Garrett at the moment. Grant knew that he’d have to protect her from the eventual fallout of  **Hydra** .

“So if I said I’d like for us to keep out clothes on?” So they weren’t the words he was expecting. Even she knew he probably felt the hesitation in her body. “I just…”

“No, I get it. You don’t want to get kicked out.” His words were hollow, almost final.

It was when they bodies began to lose contact with one another that the panic set back in. Grant was starting to imagine that the pull between them had just been in his mind until she pulled him back to her, her lips on his.

“Yes, but that’s not why.” Scarlett answered as they parted. “It’s been an  _ extremely _ long time since I let anyone in. Yes, I have friends but they only know a little bit of the whole equation that is me. The other day in our survival class, when you came over to try and help… There was this weird pull between us that I thought I was imagining. I don’t want anything to go on between us and then lose it.”

“So you did feel it,” his confidence was rocked again. Grant hadn’t felt this out of control of his emotions since Garrett had first left him in the woods.

“Yeah.” Her smile made his heart skip a beat. It was such a new feeling that he felt more human than ever. “So I just want to make sure that whatever  _ this _ is going to be… We don’t ruin it. It’s the last thing I want.”

“So we’re just going to make it up at as we go along.” He could handle that if it meant being around her.

“In this case, I think that’s the only play we have.” Scarlett smiled now, her hands resting at the back of his neck. “So you’re okay with it?”

“If there’s one thing I ever did learn, despite my family, is how to respect women, Scarlett.” Grant’s smile matched hers now, his arms wrapping around her before he flipped them so that she was resting on top of him. “So if that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

His hands drifted over her back as she moved to lay across his chest. This was new to him, but he was starting to enjoy it. It wasn’t long until the two both fell asleep, feeling surprisingly relaxed in one another’s company. Sadly, they felt it the next morning. Two people in a single twin bed usually didn’t lead to very happy muscles.Thankfully it was only Sunday and most cadets were finding some type of trouble on campus to get into.

Scarlett was the first to wake up, gently stretching until she heard satisfied popping noises. It was Grant’s arm wrapped around her waist that kept her from moving very far. She wanted breakfast, but when she looked at her watch she realized it wasn’t time for the kitchen to be open, at least not for the weekend. Grant was awake as well, but very content to pretend that he was still sleeping just to feel her close to him. However, his own stomach soon protested for the need of food. 

“I need to go back to my room.” Scarlett mumbled when he finally moved his arm from around her waist. She wasn’t joking either. They’d worked up a sweat at the gym and then gone to bed without showers, not that it had been intentional.

“You can shower here.” It was the simplest answer, mostly because he didn’t want her to go.

“I need clean clothes.” She finally crawled over him and out of the bed, scooping her shirt off the floor. “And I can’t show up to breakfast wearing yours.”

“Then maybe I should get some clean clothes and come back to your place.” Grant was already up and grabbing some. He had no intentions of it unless she wanted it.

“No. You’d want to clean everything if you came over to mine and I prefer my organized chaos.” Scarlett walked over to him, stealing a kiss. “Why don’t we just meet out on the quad and then we can go get breakfast?”

“Sounds like a plan.” She disappeared after that, leaving him alone for the time being. 

An ache creeped into his chest now, knowing that there was no way he was going back from this. Grant was going to have to figure out what to do with his situation. She was a  _ Shield  _ legacy and one that came from a very prominent family. Her grandmother was a founder! He finally just headed to the shower, letting his mind go blank.

Across the campus, Scarlett had already showered after literally sprinting back to her room. Natasha would be proud of her. She was just busy trying to find something clean out of the piles of clothes in her room. When she’d first moved in, everything had been perfectly put away. A week later and she had made a mess of the room. She eventually pulled on her favorite loungewear: her favorite oversized MIT sweater and comfy leggings. She grabbed her laptop and slid her tennis shoes on before jogging down the stairs of her dorm.

She found Grant at the quad, waiting on her in his jeans and henley.  _ God, does he look perfect _ . Scarlett thought as she looked him up and down. He really did make her think of a young Bond before he’d joined MI6. 

“Ready for food?” She asked as she walked up behind him. He simply nodded, looking as if he’d been off in his own world while waiting for her.

Truth was, Grant  _ had  _ actually been caught up in his thoughts. Being left alone had allowed him to think about Garrett finding out. He’d started remembering him speaking of a girl that’s description matched Scarlett when he’d been in the woods training him. He’d never thought he’d actually  _ meet _ her, let alone make out with her in his bed! 

“So what’s with the laptop?” He noticed it as they walked into the cafeteria.

“I thought maybe we could watch a movie or two.” She answered as she placed it at a table. Scarlett went ahead and grabbed a plate, loading it with sausage, bacon, and eggs. 

“No color?” He asked, curious about her breakfast choices. Grant tried to fit everything into every meal so that he was always getting what he needed.

“I’ll have my fruit in a little bit.” She smiled, grabbing another plate and putting a waffle on it. “Breakfast is when I load up on everything.”

Once they sat down at the table, Scarlett dug in on her food. Grant was surprised that she could even put that much food away and still have room for more but considering the amount of calorie they all burned off daily… It shouldn’t have really surprised him at all.

“So are we going back to your place?” He asked as they started to finish their breakfast.

“Think you can handle a messy room?” She returned, knowing that it had been pretty bad when she’d arrived back that morning. “I didn’t exactly clean it when I went back.”

“I think that I can handle it.” He smiled at her now and it only served to make her blush. He enjoyed that, knowing he had the same effect on her that she had on him. “Besides, we’re just going to pile up and watch movies, right?”

“Right.” Scarlett nodded, stacking her empty plates to try and keep from blushing even more. “But I’ll have to do a little cleaning before we do…. I think my laundry is starting to come alive.”

“We’ve only been here a week.”

“And I’m a girl, Ward.” Scarlett deadpanned, looking at him through her bangs. “I can change a million times in one day… Not that I do. But I could. And I’m not in my room much so why clean it.”

“You don’t have friends over?” Grant asked as they both go up to put their plates away.

“That’s where I usually am.” Scarlett dropped her plates at the window, heading back to their table. “And then I go crash in my bed unless I haven’t already from workouts.”

He nodded, following her back to their table and scooping her laptop up before she could. Scarlett just shook her head, walking with him back towards her dorm building. He was suddenly thankful that most of the cadets found other things to do on campus during the weekends. The last thing he wanted was to listen to people being loud up and down the halls. It was why he was somewhat glad he was around some of the more serious students at the academy. Scarlett had paused at the door to her room, biting her lip now that they had reached it. She still wasn’t sure she was ready to let Grant see how crazy it was.

“I’m not going to run away just because of a messy room.” He said, as if able to read her mind. But in truth, it was her body language that said it all for him. Grant enjoyed it though, watching as her body turned from tense to relaxed. “Promise.”

“Okay.” It was her turn to have her confidence shot as she unlocked the door and let them in. Now that she looked at the room, it wasn’t nearly as horrible as she had thought it was that morning. The laundry was at least contained to a corner at the foot of the bed, however her books were strewn all over her desk.

“I think you were over exaggerating about how dirty it was.” Grant moved past her into the room, going to the bed and slipping his ragged converse off his feet.  “So what movie did you have in mind?”

Scarlett was still standing in shock at him, just watching as he made himself at home in her room. After a minute, his words registered and she slipped her own shoes off, tucking them at the desk. She crawled onto the bed next to him, taking her laptop from between them and searching through her iTunes library.

“How about one of the Sean Connery  _ Bond _ Movies?” She asked, pulling up  _ Dr. No _ . 

It was one of her favorites, even Grant could tell that so he just nodded as he moved towards the head of the bed to get comfortable. Scarlett slid up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“You make a good pillow.” Her comment was completely random and caught him off guard, but his arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer as the movie opening credits rolled. The two ended up falling asleep to a  _ Bond _ marathon in her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this short chapter. I wanted to take it down a notch. I promise, they'll have some fun eventually but it's going to be a while. Tension has to mount before Grant finally has some realizations and make his decisions about **Hydra** and his affiliations with the group.


	5. New Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Grant realizes how strong his feelings for Scarlett really are when John makes a surprise visit to the Academy and seems to be testing Grant. It throws him into a bad space just in time for the annual Operations Academy Halloween Rave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is “New Fears” by Lights. This installment also takes place during Halloween. I’m a firm believer that even though the Operations Academy is the most competitive that sometimes the students need a break. Which is why there is a place in the woods outside of the location where they can all sneak off and have rave parties. The faculty look the other way because they understand sometimes the students need other ways to blow off steam. It also helps that Natasha and Clint are considered “okay” enough by the cadets to know when the parties will be held and actually show up. So yeah, here we go!
> 
> Also I apologize for this taking so long to get out. I have a blog I run as well as started a new job. I’m going to try to write a little every week so I can get a chapter out at least once a week.

**Chapter Four**

**New Fears**

The weeks since they’d admitted that something was going on between them had passed quickly, almost every single night spent in one of their dorms together. They’d even mastered the whole shower issue because they stayed in Scarlett’s dorms on the nights when she needed to wash her hair. Basically life had been blissful… Well until John decided to show up on campus for an impromptu visit. Thankfully Grant had been alone in his dorm for the first time in weeks when he came by. The last thing he needed was being caught with her in bed, even if they weren’t having sex. John would probably call her a weakness, and Grant just couldn’t imagine what the former would want him to do to her.

“So I heard you’ve been adjusting well.” John started looking around his room. “You should really decorate. They’ll start suspecting something is up.”

Grant just nodded as John walked around, looking his dorm room over. Scarlett had said the same thing when they’d been in her room the night before, except she’d meant it as a joke. He was just glad that none of her clothing was laying around. She’d claimed one of the drawers in his dresser as her own so she could have clothes the next morning on nights she stayed over.

“You enjoying it so far?”

“It’s challenging.” Grant answered, not letting his guard down. It was Garrett’s tactic and he was starting to realize it. “I’m enjoying it though.”

“Blending in? Making friends?” Garrett continued, walking around the empty room. He randomly picked up the few things Grant had in his room, poking around to see what it was.

“Enough to make it seem like I’m a team player.” Grant was suddenly glad that he’d cleaned up Scarlett’s pile of clothes and made her take them with her. “What’s with you dropping by? I thought we said no contact.”

“I was in the neighborhood. Figured I’d swing by and see how you were adjusting. Everything I’ve heard from the agents says you’re gunning for top of your class.” That was a fishing line if Grant had ever heard one. Everyone knew that Scarlett was set to graduate with the top honors of their class. She knew everything.

“I’m just doing what you trained me to do, sir.” Grant felt the twinge of pride at saying it, but suddenly it felt wrong.

“Good.” The smile Garrett had on his lips as he walked over to him now made him feel sick to his stomach. “Then I’ll leave you to it. Might go see the niece.”

“Okay.” Grant was then left alone and the first thing he did was puke into the toilet.

Everything was suddenly wrong. **Hydra** was wrong, but he was already entangled in it. How was he supposed to get out with a man like John Garrett keeping such a close eye on him. He managed to get calmed down enough and laid down, taking a nap for a few hours as it was a Saturday. He was woken up by his cell phone, Scarlett’s personalized ringtone - one of which she’d insisted - ringing through his room.

“Hello?” He answered, pretty sure he sounded rough.

“You okay?” She asked, and he heard loud noise behind her. Where was she?

“Yeah, just woke up from a nap. I went for a run on the track earlier this morning.” He was lying, and it just made him want to go be sick again. “Where are you?”

“Oh, my uncle came by and they gave him permission to take me out for lunch. I texted you to see if you wanted to come with us but you never answered.” Scarlett explained and he could hear the sound of concern in her voice. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Another lie. Grant was literally panicking. Had she mentioned she knew him to Garrett?

“Okay.” Scarlett was far from convinced as she sat across from John at the local burger joint.

“Who are you talking to, babygirl?” John asked looking over at her on the phone. “Your burger isn’t going to taste good cold.”

“Just a minute, Uncle John,” she said and Grant fought back the wave of sickness at the sound of him calling her by _his_ pet name for her. “Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t miss it.” Grant had gotten up now and made it to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. “Can I talk to you later?”

“Of course,” he heard the smile in her voice now. “Our food just got here anyways.”

“Eat. I’ll see you later.” Grant hung up before she could even get a goodbye out, emptying the rest of his breakfast into the toilet in front of him.

Across town, Scarlett hung up her phone and slid it back into her purse as she moved in her chair to eat.

“So who was that?” John asked, working on dressing his burger.

“Just a friend from the academy.” Scarlett answered as she started doing the same to her own. “She’s not feeling well I guess.”

The last thing she needed was John ragging her on a new boy in her life. He’d taken issue with her girlfriends in the past so he wouldn’t press if he thought it was another female. He never had a problem with the fact that she was bisexual, he just didn’t like the girls she brought home. Plus, she didn’t want word getting back to her dad about a boy in her life. Best to just pretend it was a girl and be done with it.

“Romanoff?” John asked, eyebrow raised. She was the only one that John knew was her friend.

“No, not Nat. If she was sick, then we’d all be in trouble.” Scarlett laughed as she dug in on her burger. It had been a while since John had visited her one on one like this. “What brought you to the academy today?”

“Oh nothing really. I was in town and Phil said you usually have your weekends free. So I thought maybe I would swing by and see you.” John was watching her and he knew that she was seeing past that. “Plus, I’d heard talk of one of the cadets gunning for top of your class.”

“Do you really think anyone is going to unseat me easily?” Scarlett shook her head, knowing he already knew the answer. She was working her tail off to show that she could do this just like Grace and Sharon had.

“No. You’re good. We all made sure you were ready for this.” John smiled now watching her. “So anything interesting happen so far?”

“Natasha has said that she wants me for her trainee my last two years.” Scarlett was beyond excited about it as well. Natasha hadn’t even wanted to take Grace as her trainee in the third and fourth year. “I mean, yeah she’s a friend but she’s also been kicking my butt the hardest.”

“Good for you. You’ll enjoy it.” Scarlett enjoyed the approval that John gave her. Next to her father and grandmother, John was the one person she held in extreme high esteem at _Shield_.  “Finish eating. I did promise I’d have you back before it got around the whole campus I kidnapped you.”

John dropped her off with promises of visiting the next time he was around and she quickly made her way across campus to Grant’s dorms. She got to the door only to find it locked. Instantly she grew worried, pulling her lockpicking kit out and set in on the lock. Once she heard the satisfying click, she let herself in only to find him lying in his bed reading.

“Grant, are you okay?” She asked, dropping her bag on his desk. She crossed the room, sitting down next to him.

“I told you I was fine earlier. I was just worn out after the gym.” He answered not looking up from his book.

“I thought you went to the track for a run.” Scarlett’s words caught him and he quickly marked his place in his book.

“I did. And then I went to the gym after.” Grant added as he sat the book down, pushing past her to get up. “Did you rush back from lunch to interrogate me?”

“No.” Scarlett stood up now, following him for a moment. “I just got back and wanted to come see if you wanted to hang out... Maybe hit the gym with me for a little while so I can get my weights in today… Why would I be interrogating you?”

Grant didn’t answer, just grabbed his gym clothes out of a drawer before turning back to her.

“Don’t you need to change for the gym then?” He asked, looking her up and down. Grant knew he was being distant now but he couldn’t help it. The random visit from John had not been welcomed at all and he still wasn’t sure how to shake how he felt.

“Yeah… I just wanted to come check on your first.” She let a sigh out as she grabbed her bag. “I’ll go get changed and meet you at the gym then.”

She made to go, but Grant couldn’t let her go like that. He tossed the clothes onto his bed, reaching for her. His left arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards him. She twisted to look at him but she never had a chance as he quickly pressed his lips to hers. He was glad he’d cleaned up before she’d gotten back. The last thing he needed was her asking questions about him being sick. He kissed her deeply, holding her tightly to his body. Grant finally pulled away when his lungs began to protest, still holding her to him.

“You left some of your gym clothes over here if you want to go change in the bathroom.” He didn’t want her to go now that he had her back.

But there was so much that scared him. What if John was just waiting around on campus to watch him interact with everyone else? What if he saw the two of them together?  Had she mentioned him to John? He shook the wave of nausea off as she stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before she slipped over to her designated drawer.

“I’ll be just a few minutes.” She smiled as she slipped into the bathroom, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He was changed when she came out though, his workout shoes on. She still took his breath away when he saw her and that pull was still there. There was no way it was going to change unless he had no choice but to ignore it. They made their way to the gym together, Scarlett talking on and on about the rave that was going on in the woods. It was the only tradition the Operations Academy had since its inception. The students were allowed a Halloween party the weekend before or of the holiday. She had been trying to convince him to go, but so far he’d kept telling her no.

“Are you sure you want to stay here by yourself tonight?” She asked as the entered the gym. Scarlett was at least going to say she’d given it the college try to convince Grant to join her. Her opinion was that he _really_ needed a social life. “Or I can stay here with you if you want me to?”

“You love parties.” Grant commented as he watched her start to set the weights up for herself. “I’m not good in big crowds, Scarlett. I’ve told you that.”

“I know.” She looked at him now, her blue eyes watching. “I just.. You need to come, Ward. It’s not good for you to be isolated from everyone.”

“I’m not isolated,” he tried to shrug it off. It was something John would say but he wasn’t surprised. She’d grown up around him. “I just don’t do well in big crowds unless I have to. It isn’t like this party is mandatory.”

“But everyone is going to be having fun while you’re sitting a reading a book.” She moved to lay down on the bench now, trying to find her grip.

“And I enjoy reading.” Grant commented as he moved to stand above her. “So I’ll be having fun while you’re having fun with the rest of the students.”

“That’s boring, Ward.” He fought back the urge to roll his eyes at her words. She wasn’t going to give up now. “At least come for a little while, maybe an hour? And if you still hate it, we’ll leave.”

“You don’t have to leave because I’m not staying…” He didn’t want her to miss out on a party because of him.

“Yes, I do.” She smiled up at him before she began her reps. “Besides, I won’t have much fun if you aren’t there.”

“Fine,” Grant relented as she continued.

She was always impressing him and driving him insane. None of the girls at there could keep up with him except Romanoff. But Scarlett tried her hardest to keep up with him. It was one of the reasons he knew he wouldn’t be the top of their class… But he didn’t mind coming in second to her. He looked down to notice that she’d finished her reps.

“You want a go? Or can we go have a sparring session?” Scarlett asked, barely having broken a sweat.

“And let you bruise me up before tonight? You’re out of your mind.” He smiled as he said it though, making her laugh.

They spent their time until dinner working out, avoiding the sparring mats despite Scarlett’s attempts to convince him to. It was after dinner that they parted ways to get ready for the party. It didn’t ever take him long to get ready for anything. The fall weather had broken out his henleys so he was dressed in his white one with his ragged converse and jeans. Grant just let himself in as he normally did, shocked when he saw how she was dressed. It was no secret she loved her skinny jeans but she’d coupled her most torn up pair with a pair of above the knee black boots and a long sleeved crop top that showed off her abs and her belly ring. There was no makeup on her face, however. It was one of the reasons Grant liked her because she didn’t really need it to be beautiful.

“You look amazing.” Scarlett looked up from her jewelry box, slipping a set of black cat earrings into her ears.

“Thanks,” she replied as she walked over to him. The heels gave her a bit of a height change, almost leveling them out. “You don’t look bad yourself, 007.”

Grant pulled her close, not caring that the door was wide open as he pressed his lips to hers. He was hoping that his issues with large crowds wouldn’t bother him as much as he was thinking it would. Any other day he would have been fine to go to the party, but John’s surprise visit had sent him reeling and he had very little control over his emotions like he usually did.

“Shall we go?” She asked as they pulled away from one another, her hand slipping into his and tangling their fingers together.

Grant nodded as she led them down the hallway and towards the woods. The location was no secret and relatively easy to find in comparison to most of the training areas that they were required to meet Barton at during the week. When they finally arrived at the lake, Grant realized he’d underestimated the amount of people who would be there. There were a bunch of the guys already stripped down to their boxers in the water and some girls had followed suit into their bras and panties. Alcohol was banned on the campus but someone had managed to get a few kegs for the party. He was starting to regret this.

“I’ll go grab us a couple drinks… Why don’t you go find us one of the bonfires to hang out at?” She suggested, not waiting for him to answer as she made to move away from his side. However, Grant didn’t realize his grip had tightened until she tugged him gently. “Grant, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he let go now, suddenly embarrassed. He didn’t really _need_ her to be able to handle this… She just made everything a little easier. “I’ll find us a couple seats.”

They separated, leaving Grant to find the bonfire the farthest away from the large group. He was regretting his decision to come. Meanwhile, Scarlett disappeared to where the coolers had been set up earlier in the day by the faculty. There was one thing they did for this party and that was look the other way when the kegs got brought in. She was almost sure Grant wouldn’t go for a beer, so she grabbed a coke for him before cracking her bottle open. It didn’t take her long to find him at the bonfire on the outskirts of the party. She’d hoped he was handling it well, but it was obvious he wasn’t. She sat down next to him, handing him the sprite she’d grabbed him.

“Figured you’d prefer not to drink.” She smiled, resisting the urge to lean over and kiss his shoulder. “I’ll be the drunk tonight. How does that sound?”

“That’s fine,” Grant answered, popping the sprite open and downing a little of it. He couldn’t take his eyes off the large crowd in the area he supposed had been decided on for dancing.  “Are you going to go dance?”

“Nah. Not in these heels. Besides, this is _not_ my kind of dancing.” Scarlett smiled, left hand sliding behind them so that she could gently run it over his back. “I just figured we could have a drink or two.”

“You should go dance.” He looked to her now. “Go on. I’ll be right here.”

“Grant..” She shook her head. Scarlett had two left feet, had ever since she’d been put in dance lessons when she was seven.

“Go. I’ll be right here when you’re ready for a breather.” He just hoped he wasn’t lying as she relented and stood up. She didn’t leave without stealing a kiss though, turning to check on him as she walked towards the huge crowd.

For the most part, Grant was fine until he felt like someone was watching him. It had been a long time since he’d felt like that and the last time it had been Garrett when he’d returned to the woods to check on him. It had been the worst week of the time spent there and he’d been careful not to let it be repeated ever since. Now he worried that John knew about whatever relationship he had with Scarlett. He didn’t even bother to try and find Scarlett as he stood, all but running back to the main part of the campus and back to his dorm. He was laying in his bed, trying to get control of the feelings, but everything was on the verge of collapsing in his eyes.

The door to his room opened and he just accepted it. It was Garrett and he was done for. In his eyes it had been worth it. But he was surprised as he felt her soft hands running through his hair, so much so that he visibly flinched. He realized he was having a panic attack as her hands seemed to soothe him.

“You could have told me you wanted to go,” she whispered and he was suddenly unsure why she was. “I would have come back here with you…. Or you could have told me that you didn’t want to go. I didn’t know you’d have a panic attack.” _That makes two of us_. He thought as he tried to cover up what had really caused it.

“I didn’t want…” He realized now why she had whispered as he turned to look at her. Grant was shaking. _Damn John Garrett to hell_ , he thought as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. “I didn’t want to ruin your fun.”

Scarlett didn’t say a word, just continued running her fingers through his hair. Why did such a simple action seem to soothe him in ways he’d never experienced before. He felt her move away and he reached out for her, eyes searching the darkness of his room until she saw her form. He watched as she changed into the shorts she left there and one of his t-shirts before she came back to the bed. He’d never had something like this happen, but now it was even more important to make sure that he kept Garrett from finding out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER!!! Sorry, y'all, I couldn't resist. So there you have it, Grant's first panic attack. I'll be back next weekend with another chapter hopefully. I want to know if you have any questions that you want answered! So make sure to comment and let me know them.


	6. Piece By Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving for the Academy is spent there as there are many nationalities represented. However, Fury sends Phil on a last minute mission, causing him to cancel his plans to visit Scarlett at the Academy. Being hurt, Scarlett isolates herself from everyone. Grant is forced out of his comfort zone only to find that his girl is just as broken by her family as he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to what might be my favorite chapter next to when Grant will eventually spill his guts about **Hydra** to Scarlett. This chapter is where Grant  & Scarlett bond on another emotional level. Plus, Grant got his spotlight last chapter. It’s Scarlett’s turn. The song this chapter is loosely based around is “Piece by Piece” by Kelly Clarkson. The version that I chose is on the playlist and you can find it [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/125280568/playlist/1GMjhrSlbwhF4dK9g1Cf8k?si=koUrbapFT0aAbbE6O8JiQg).

**Chapter Five**

**”Piece By Piece”**

Scarlett had to admit she had been counting down the days until Thanksgiving. Other than emails and occasional phone calls, she hadn’t seen her father since he’d helped her move in at the academy. She’d been looking forward to Thanksgiving for weeks. Grant still hadn’t been able to understand her excitement, mostly because he hadn’t ever experienced the love of family other than his grandmother and that hadn’t been very often sadly.

So when Scarlett missed breakfast on the first of their three days off, Grant was surprised. She would miss meals on occasion due to training one on one with Natasha, but for her to miss on their days off of classes? It wasn’t like her. He fixed his own to-go bowl of oatmeal before fixing her one as well and heading towards her dorm.

She was still laying in bed, staring at her laptop screen in hopes that the email would change, but she knew it wouldn’t. Fury had sent her father on a mission the day before Thanksgiving. She could forgive Grace or Sharon being too busy. It wasn’t abnormal. But for Fury to send her father out like that, knowing that she was at the academy… That just irked her in all the wrong ways. Scarlett shut her laptop and tucked it under her bed, unsure if she even wanted to exist for the day.

She ignored the sound of the door opening. Most likely it was Nat or Clint… possibly even Grant, but he’d planned on being scarce with her father coming to campus so it as unlikely. She just stared at the wall, hoping whichever one of them it was would just go away. However, it was not in the cards. It was the callouses on Grant’s hands that gave him away as he scooped her up into his arms.

“You missed breakfast.” He commented, surprised by her rigidness against him. “You want me to leave it here and go?”

“Pops isn’t coming.” She sighed, still not relaxing as he held her. Scarlett really just wanted to wallow and just pretend she hadn’t gotten excited over another empty promise. It was the normal cycle for their relationship and had been since he’d started taking assignments full time again. She felt Grant squeeze her gently, but she didn’t respond as she wiggled from his arms and grabbed her gym clothes.

“I think I’m going to go for a run.” Scarlett left him sitting there, changing in her bathroom.

Grant was shocked, though he didn’t show it. She was almost how he had been when he’d dealt with all the issues with his brother and parents. He decided he definitely didn’t like getting pushed away from her. When she came out of the bathroom, he was holding her running shoes.

“Ward, I need those.” She said coming over to him. He held them up where she couldn’t reach. Sure it was childish, but he needed her attention. “Ward, give `em!”

“No.” He simply answered, still holding them out of her reach.

“Damnit, Grant!” She growled, walking away from him. “I just want to go for a run!”

“No, you want to ignore the fact that you’re disappointed in someone who really shouldn’t be disappointing you.” Grant did bring the shoes down within her reach now. “Scarlett, it’s okay to admit that.”

“It’s life with a parent as a _Shield_ agent, Ward. He’s missed worse.” She grabbed her shoes now, going to the bed and slipping them on.

She left him there without another word as she made her way out of her dorm and to the gym. Grant followed after her, glad he had his gym bag with him. If she was going to be so damned persistent about his issues with crowds, then he was going to be persistent about this in return.

“It doesn’t matter what he’s missed.” Grant got in front of her now. For someone so short, she was definitely too fast. Scarlett glared up at him now, waiting for him to continue… Or maybe she was trying to figure out the easiest way to get around him. “You’re hurting. You need to get it out.”

“No, I need to punch something.” Scarlett commented, pushing past him. He caught her arm though, pulling her backside to him as his arms locked around her to keep her from pulling away. “Ward…”

“No. The last thing you need is to be punching things. You’re angry. You need to talk about it.” He’d said the wrong thing evidently because she broke away from him and quickly threw a punch at him. Thankfully, he knew it was coming so he was able to dodge it.

“No. I need you and everyone else to stop telling what I need! You don’t know what I need right now.” Grant had half expected her to yell but it was her deadly calm voice that scared him more as she finished and began walking away from him. He let her this time, still surprised that she had thrown the punch at him.

Scarlett detoured and went to the lake, sitting on one of the large boulders near the edge of the water. She’d always found the water soothing, having found a niche for swimming competitions once she’d learned to swim. Despite being Daniel’s hummingbird, she was like a fish once she was in the water. If it hadn’t been for the cold temperature, then she might have actually stripped down and gotten in the lake. However, Natasha had warned her if she heard about her getting hypothermia that she’d be in the biggest trouble of her life from her Aunt Melinda. There was only one person she was afraid of and that was Melinda May, so there was no swimming on the agenda - at least not in the lake.

There was no telling how long she sat there, just watching as the water gently lapped at the shoreline. It was her stomach that made her finally get up and start back to the main campus. She was still pissed beyond belief at Fury. He was her uncle practically after Peggy had chosen him to be her successor, and he knew that she’d joined the Academy. But then again, he was very much about “no special treatment” despite his giving Grace and Sharon their desired locations to work. Nick also knew that she had decided to go to the academy after graduating MIT… So where was the give? One day? He couldn’t give her father a single day to be with her?

Scarlett made her way to the gym, surprised to see Grant on the treadmill. She finally looked at her phone to see it was nearly noon. How long had he been there? And why? Sure, she knew Grant was gunning to come out top of their class just like she was, but he’d really cut back on how long he stayed in the gym most days. Climbing on the treadmill next to him, she didn’t say a word. She just turned the machine on and began her normal thirty minute jog.

“Feel better?” He asked, not looking up from the book he’d brought with him.

“No.” She answered, focused on a spot on the wall. “Still pissed.”

Grant shutdown the treadmill he was on before marking his place in his book. He deftly turned hers off as well, earning him a glare. To be honest, he didn’t care at the moment if she got pissed at him. He made his way over to his bag and grabbed his tape then headed into the sparring room. Most of the cadets had decided they didn’t need to practice which gave them the room ninety percent of the time. She followed after him, just like he knew she would because was too much the curious kitten.

“What are we doing?” Scarlett asked, not resisting as he grabbed one of her hands and began wrapping it. “I thought you said I didn’t need to be punching things.”

“I thought about it,” Grant answered as he finished taping off her right and moving to her left. “And maybe that’s exactly what you need. To take out all this pent up frustration out on a punching bag because you can’t get ahold of the one person that’s causing this.”

“I wouldn’t fight my dad, anyways…” Scarlett mumbled as he finished her left hand, waiting as he set up a punching bag for her.

“Well it might do you some good to get you talking to him.” Grant stood behind the bag now, waiting on her. “Come on. Take it out on the bag.”

Scarlett stood still for a moment before finally laying into the bag. She kept the comments she wanted to say to herself, knowing that they wouldn’t do anyone any good, not unless she was saying them to her father… And that would never be an option.

Their relationship was always teetering on the edge of a cliff. A push the wrong way and they most likely would never speak to one another again. He’d been around for most of her childhood, mandatory family vacations, and so on. Once she’d gotten to high school, things had changed. He’d started taking more assignments, and she’d come to see less and less of him. She blamed herself deep down, but she also knew that it was mostly because of how much she favored her mother. It was hard on him, but it was just as hard on her.

Scarlett wasn’t girlie by any means. Gracelynn had tried her hardest to teach her how to be, but it had fallen on deaf ears. She much preferred spending time with Daniel learning some things that didn’t have to deal with survival training. He’d taught her to fish, rebuild guns, and rebuild cars. She’d grown up the biggest tomboy but she still missed all the opportunities she’d missed out on without her mother. Melinda had tried her best to fill in and so had her aunt Camilla, Gracelynn’s mother… Sadly it had never really helped much. But Daniel Sousa-Carter had become the father that she needed when Phil wasn’t around. She kept going at the bag until she couldn’t feel her arms anymore, feeling at least physically better about the situation. Her mind was still reeling though. She’d wanted to say something for years, but feared that it would be the final tipping point to ruin their relationship.

“Why don’t we go eat? You haven’t had breakfast or lunch I’m sure.” Grant’s voice was so soft as he spoke, his hands reaching for hers again as he began to unwind the wraps on them. “You should really tell him you’re disappointed.”

“Not like it would work. He probably didn’t tell Uncle Nick that he even planned on coming. That’s usually how it works.” Scarlett just watched again as Grant did his work. “Ever since mom died, he hasn’t really argued with him because of how understanding he was during the first few years.”

Grant let it go, tossing the wraps in his bag before slipping his hand in hers. It took nothing more than a gentle tug to get her to follow him. He hated that he couldn’t stop this from hurting her, that there was nothing he could do about it. She was quiet all the way through lunch as they sat by themselves. Most avoided them now because they were the top in the class. It was part of the issue of being some of the best in the academy now.

“Do you want to try and sneak off campus tonight? I’m sure Romanoff would let us get away with it considering we have three days out of classes.” Grant just wanted to get her to talk, but nothing had worked so far.

“I don’t know, Grant… It’s bad enough you convinced me to sneak off to that sushi place at the beginning of October. Do you really think we should chance it again?” She asked looking up from her lunch.

“If anything, we could argue that we’re practicing our skills.” He smiled a little now, glad that she was at least seeming to open up a little more. “Come on. We can go get into some trouble. I might even let..”

“Grant,” she started but he decided to ignore her interruption. She’d done it to him plenty of times.

“...you beat me at bowling. You did say you loved to bowl.”

“She does,” a voice from behind him said. “And yet, she’s also a stickler for the rules.”

Grant looked to Scarlett’s face to see she was blushing. He dreaded the idea of turning around because he knew that wasn’t Clint Barton standing behind him.

“Pops, I thought you weren’t coming.” Scarlett looked behind him and he slowly began to shift around to see the infamous Coulson that everyone talked about.

“I sent you that so I could surprise you. Fury gave me permission to bring you home for the next couple days.” Phil’s eyes never left Grant, his usual smile in place. Grant was starting to get a little creeped out. “I’m guess you’d rather stay here.”

“It’s one thing to take me out for a meal, Pops.” She got up, walking around the table to hug him. “But taking me home for three days is kind of pointless. I’ll lose out on training time.”

“According to Natasha, you don’t really need the extra time.” Phil hugged his daughter, Grant finally finding a reprieve from his gaze. If he was Scarlett’s father, he wouldn’t trust himself either.

“That’s because I’ve been using my extra time to get better.” Scarlett answered as she pulled away, turning to look at both of them. “Pops, this is Grant Ward. Grant, this is my father, Phil Coulson.”  
Grant stood now, extending his right hand out as he did.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, sir,” he said as Phil shook his hand. “And I was just trying to cheer her up… She…”

“Was upset I wasn’t coming for thanksgiving I’m sure. I don’t blame her at all. Thank you for at least trying.” Phil shook Grant’s hand, sizing him up. “I’m sure Nat and Clint would have however..”

“They’re already at Grace’s for the normal routine.” Scarlett sighed, somewhat wishing they could leave without special permission. She’d drag Grant straight up to New York with her and they’d spend time with the rest of her family and friends. “Which leaves me here with Grant to keep me company.”

“Well I’m glad that Mr. Ward is keeping you company, kiddo, however, I think it might do you some good to take the next few days off.” Phil looked at her now and she knew where this was going. He’d been supportive up until the day she’d actually moved in at the academy. He didn’t want her in this life after he’d been taken away from her so much.

“Pops, I’m fine.” She smiled, moving to stand next to Grant now. “Besides, who would keep Grant from getting himself into trouble if I left?”

“I think Mr. Ward will be just fine without you for a couple days, kiddo.” Coulson was irritated with him and he didn’t like it. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I’m staying here, Pops. Now you are more than welcome to swing by tomorrow and have dinner with me for Thanksgiving. Or you can take me off campus. But I’m staying here. I still have training that I have to do.” Scarlett was calm waters, but Grant was starting to think there was something deeper in their relationship that had them at odds with one another. “And we still have lunch to finish if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Grant watched as the two hugged, letting out a sigh of relief once he was out the door of the cafeteria.

“He hates me.” He sat down now, staring at his food. “Your dad hates me.”

“No.. He hates the whole idea of me being at Operations. He hates the idea that I might fall for a _Shield_ agent and get myself right into what he and my mom did.” Scarlett sat down next to Grant. “I told you my mom died.”

“Yeah,” he still remembered how she’d quickly told him not to apologize for it either.

“Well, it was around this time of year. The whole family, including all of the extended portions, had been at Thanksgiving at my grandparents’ house. Gramma Angie had baked, Gramps took care of the Turkey and sides, and Grams was busy putting out a fire at HQ. Uncle Nick was still training under her to take over as the director. She wanted to send Dad on the assignment because he could handle it… Mom and him got into it because it was the holidays and he’d already missed Halloween and a bunch of others. They’d drove separately because dad had come straight from the New York office. They decided to take separate cars to have time to calm down and because I was already asleep, she put me in Dad’s so that when he got home he could put me straight into bed.” Scarlett took a deep breath, trying not to lose it. It had been far too long since she’d actually had to explain this to anyone. “We left while mom stayed behind to help clean up afterwards… And on her way home, she was going through an intersection when a truck ran a red light. The driver was drunk and speeding. Never even hit the breaks. Mom’s car was small and compact but back then they didn’t do much for safety. She died while the car was flipping because her neck snapped. Hangman’s fracture.”

“Scarlett…” Grant started but she shook her head.

“He’s blamed himself ever since. That maybe if he’d told Grams no that she wouldn’t have insisted on driving separately.”

“But then you both would have been with her… And you wouldn’t be here.” He wanted to wrap his arms around her but sadly it wasn’t possible, at least not in the open like they were now.

“The only reason mom stayed to help clean up was because she was mad. She did that when she was mad. It’s one of the few things I’m able to remember about her.” She reached over for her plate, picking at the food again. “Gramma Angie always said I looked so much like her… And that was why it was so hard for him after she died. We were so close before it all happened and then after… He became another person. Like he was still Pops and he still did everything the way he always did, but it was like his heart wasn’t in it without her.”

“They were soulmates,” Grant didn’t like the term but it seemed to fit what she was describing between her mother and Coulson.

“Pretty much. So it’s been a battle ever since. I have to pick and choose, but I made this decision because this is where I grew up. I was raised on _Shield_ and the SSR back before Grams left and created _Shield_ with Howard Stark. I wanted this more than anything.” Scarlett smiled a little. “And mom would want me to do what I wanted despite how much she wouldn’t like it. So I’m doing this more for her and myself than I am anyone else.”

Her small smile gave him one of his own as he sat there next to her. He wished he could be that optimistic about his family life but that wasn’t in the cards. His family was full of abusers - excluding his darling gramsy -, and he truly wanted nothing else to do with them. But maybe there were other opportunities for family now.

“Why don’t we go watch a movie, babygirl?” Grant asked as he grabbed his plate and stood.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay short but not really sweet. Plus you find out how Scarlett’s mom died. Yep. Full on information. I’m already working on the real chapter 6 so it’ll hopefully be ready over the weekend!


	7. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the week before the students leave for their Christmas Break week. Grant still hasn’t made his mind up if he’s going to Brooklyn with Scarlett or not. What’s a boy to do for the girl he loves - even if he doesn’t know it yet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! We’re only one chapter away from what I think is my favorite part to write. I love holiday centered bits just because I’m weird I guess. The next Halloween bit will be much more halloween-y I just thought that we could have the first big one be christmas. And the song that inspired this is actually not the original. It’s Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé’s cover because I can’t be controlled. It’s on the playlist so go check it out!
> 
> Now back to our regularly scheduled **Hydra** / _Shield_ dilemma.

**Chapter Six**

**Baby, It's Cold Outside**

Scarlett cupped her coffee cup tightly, though it wasn’t filled with coffee. She’d ditched her regular coffee from her keurig for her favorite hot chocolate mix. It was officially December and she was going to enjoy her hot chocolate until the first day of spring no matter what. Grant, however, had still gotten his coffee black that morning and could not be convinced to indulge in anything else. 

“You’re going to regret that later.” He said, knowing full well that Natasha and Clint had plans for their students as far as sparring went.

“No, I won’t. It’s different than eating a huge pizza by myself. This is going to wake me up just as well as my coffee usually does.” She couldn’t help but smile, glad for the warmth. “Besides, it’s too cold. I need something to put some pep in my step!”

And she wasn’t kidding. The campus was blanketed in snow which meant all outside activities were suspended except for Barton’s survival classes, but those were only taken outside when the students were ready to apply what they learned for fear of frostbite or worse. Everyone seemed to be slowly making their way to their classes. Scarlett was finishing the last of her sniper range qualifications while Grant was stuck in a a weapons class. Grace had been called away so they’d had to combine the two morning classes. It was too crowded for his likes.

“It’s too cold and yet you want to go up to Brooklyn where it’s  _ colder _ for Christmas.” Grant pointed out, still wondering why she was even going.

“Well, 007, I’m not staying here. I need away from this dreary campus already.” She shook her head, snow falling from her hair. “Besides, better than being here… You should definitely come with me. That way we can both get a break and go do some fun things.”

“Fun things. In the cold.” He was pretty sure that he was trying to get her to stay there with him but having absolutely no luck. Maybe he should just go with her to Brooklyn. “You sure you actually  _ hate _ the cold?”

“There are things to do in New York that are fun in the cold. Ice skating at Central Park. Remember, I told you all the museums are open as well… At least until Christmas Eve and Day.” Scarlett smiled, doing her best to keep up with Grant. He never tried to adjust his tempo when walking so she just always kept hers with his. “Besides, it’s time for a break from training. If I have to hear you or Natasha yelling at me to get my leg higher when I kick, then I might just kill one of you.”

“Me, most likely.” He stopped just short of the door to the indoor shooting range. “I’ll see you in her class later?”

“Of course. I don’t leave until tomorrow.” She smiled, looking around the hall before risking a quick kiss. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“See you.” He watched her walk away, sighing at the thought of being without her. 

Even if it only was for a week, Grant had grown far to used to having her near him. She seemed to smooth out the rough edges of his soul. That wasn’t what was keeping him from going with her though. John and his affiliation with  **Hydra** is what had him worried. What if John showed up and outed him? What if someone they were around found out and he never saw her again? Grant didn’t care about getting caught. His concern was the way Scarlett would look at him after finding out… He hoped he never found out what that would look like.

Their sparring class still hadn’t kicked up much, mostly just practicing technique before they were allowed to go at one another. However, most of them had started practicing on their own during their free time. Scarlett was always his partner and he didn’t mind. She was probably the only one that could really keep up with him… Or maybe it should have been he could only keep up with her. This was the class he enjoyed most because it was mindless in a way… At least until Scarlett accidentally followed through and put him on his back on the mats. 

“Any new bruises?” She asked as they sat changing their shoes.

“None that I’ve noticed.” It was her form of picking at him that she knew was safe. But she also enjoyed the fact that she could do it. “But who knows after today.”

“I said I was sorry.” She laughed now, leaning her head on his shoulder. “If you’d stop spacing out on me, then you wouldn’t get hurt this much.”

“Just wait `til we start practicing stripping knives. Your wrists are going to hurt.” He smirked, knowing it was something he was extremely good at. Scarlett just shrugged as she finished tying her shoes. “Ready for lunch?”

“Definitely. I’m starving.” Scarlett answered as she stood, grabbing her bag. “I swear this skipping breakfast to keep from vomiting during our sparring class will be the death of me.”

“Then let’s go get you some food before you pass out on me.” Grant stood now, offering his hand to her. 

The two weren’t the biggest fans of PDA, but they didn’t mind holding hands in front of everyone. Besides, as much time as they spent together, the campus already knew they were together even if they weren’t ready to put a label on what they were. So they just acted like a couple most of the time, though no one would ever call them on it. It was just the unspoken rule of the academy.

The two found a table in the corner of the room, relaxing as all their classes that afternoon were canceled. That’s what happened when the cadets had travel plans to get home for the short holiday week. And if there was one thing about  _ Shield _ , it tried it’s best not to take away from time with the family because of how stressful the job could be.

“So are you sure you still want to stay here during the break?” Scarlett asked, picking at her fries.

“I mean, I don’t really have anywhere else to go, babygirl.” Grant answered, almost dreading the reply he was going to get from her.

“You could come home with me. Grace has already asked me twenty times if you are.” He knew it was bound to come up the day before she planned on leaving to go there. “It’ll be fun.”

“In a tiny Brooklyn loft apartment with a bunch of people I don’t know… I don’t think I’d be that much fun, Scarlett.” The thing was is that he was right. He wouldn’t be. Grant would be on pins and needles until they got back to the campus. He might as well just confess his  **Hydra** affiliation in front of the whole cafeteria.

“It’s not tiny. Tony gifted her the one next door and she’s had the whole place renovated. And no one but us will be staying there with Steve and her… And the cat.” Scarlett tacked on the last as an afterthought. “I mean, why stay here? I’m sure a week by yourself is going to be boring. All you’ll do is read through your list of books.”

“Maybe I want to do that.” He commented offhandedly as he pushed his food around on his plate. He was trying to come up with some plausible excuse to  _ not _ go with her but it wasn’t working. He had a feeling nothing would work to convince her otherwise.

“And I’m a monkey’s uncle,” he chanced looking up at her now, seeing that she wasn’t having it. “I bought an extra ticket. I’ll help you pack and we can leave first thing in the morning for the station. Clint has graciously offered to drop us off.”

“Scarlett…”

“Don’t you start. Vacation. Use it to relax before Nat and Clint start beating our asses up next semester.” Scarlett stood now, grabbing her plate. “Come on. We have packing to do.”

“I thought you were already packed.” Now he was confused. He’d watched her the night before, packing her stuff up as he’d laid on her bed.

“Mostly. I have to shove my shower stuff in last minute in the morning. I was actually thinking more along the lines of you need to get pack. And our classes are canceled so let’s go.” Scarlett stared at him, waiting for him to move. “Come on. Time is wasting, Ward.”

Grant just shook his head as he grabbed his own plate, following behind her to drop his plate off as well. He actually hadn’t touched any of his food but he wasn’t that hungry. Besides, Scarlett had a container and mini fridge in her room filled with goodies. That was one thing Natasha didn’t mind at all was picking stuff up for her.

“So we need to go by your room and get your stuff packed… And then we can chill in my room overnight. Clint’s not going to lose his mind over us being in the same bed.” That was her favorite thing about the archer in question. Clint was just chill. He didn’t care about the opposite or same sex hanging in the same room as long as he didn’t catch anyone having sex.

“It was boring enough watching you pack your clothes last night… Can’t I just go pack my stuff and meet you at your room? Or we can go to the gym.” The last thing he wanted was to watch her pack his stuff up… Or find something she shouldn’t.

“Grant, I don’t mind watching you pack. The only thing I know you don’t have is pajamas. And if I know Grace like I think I do, there’s a tradition that we’re going to have to go shopping for.” Scarlett had already tucked herself into her coat and headed to the door of the cafeteria closest to his dorms. “Come on, Ward.”

She started without him, leaving him standing there speechless yet again. It was something she was becoming far too good at. He quickly grabbed his coat and headed after, easily catching up to her in a few strides. How lucky was he really to have her in his life? He still wasn’t really sure at the moment. It was with little fanfare that they arrived back at his room, Scarlett quickly making herself at home on his bed.

“So, should I plan on packing anything for upscale restaurants?” He asked, though he didn’t have anything that would work for that. That’s what sucked about his situation in general. Plus he knew about her family all too well.

“We shouldn’t be going out all that much while we’re there. Maybe a couple restaurants but they’re owned by families that we’ve grown up knowing for years so we don’t dress crazy to go there.” Scarlett smiled, grabbing his pillow and quickly fixing it against the window sill so she could be comfortable. “Just make sure you have all your warm stuff. We’ll be in some pretty cold temps.”

“Like we aren’t already,” he mumbled as he went to the dresser, pulling his thermals out and stacking them into his duffle bag. 

She just continued to sit there and watch, smile still plastered on her lips. It was like a game she had won and was enjoying watching him. Grant didn’t mind, other than being dragged somewhere he wasn’t sure about. But he had to admit she was right. It was better than being stuck here and then hearing about everyone’s week off when they got back.

“Stop smiling like the cheshire cat.” He finally said, watching as she stretched while he was finishing the last of his packing.

“Never.” She quickly moved, stealing a kiss before bundling back up in her coat. “Let’s go watch a movie and pig out on popcorn.”

“As you wish.” His words earned him a giggle. “What are you laughing at?”

“You’ve never seen  _ The Princess Bride _ have you?” She asked, suddenly turning on him. When he shook his head, she sighed. “Come on. We have work to do.”

Grant just grabbed his bag and followed after her, uncertain as to what else he had just gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess you all know that Scarlett’s about to teach our dear little Ward about _The Princess Bride_. “Mawwiage. Mawwiage is wat bwings us togeder today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream… And wuv, twue wuv, will fowwow you foweva… So tweasure your wuv.” And if you didn’t just read that in the voice: dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow, and dishonor on your whole family! See you next time!


	8. Holly Jolly Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant’s living out his decision despite his gut feeling that it could be the worst he’s ever made in his life, next to taking John up on his offer when he showed up at the juvenile detention facility. But if it’s going to be his first and last Christmas with someone he actually cares about, then he’s pretty sure he can die happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, you will meet my other Original Female Character, Gracelynn. She is the daughter of Alistair Carter (Peggy/Daniel/Angie’s son) and Camila Stark-Carter (Howard’s Daughter from a relationship **before** he married Maria - Tony’s mother). She is also the oldest of the Carter children. The age is basically Grace, Sharon, and then Scarlett. So she’s the baby.
> 
> Also, I wasn’t sure what song to use as a title for this Christmas one. Soooo I decided to pick Burl Ives “Holly Jolly Christmas”. I hope you enjoy this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it. To get a little bit of Peggy/Angie/Daniel mixed in made me very happy. I fully plan on writing more of that but on it’s own to lead it up to the two OCs. I’m also considering doing a Sharon stand alone piece but haven’t figure out who I want to give her as a love interest as I’ve given Steve to Grace. If you have suggestions, please let me know in the comments. I’m honestly between Bucky & Natasha… Or I might do a poly with them and have the three together. Who knows!
> 
> I also apologize for how Phil is being framed in these earlier chapters. Scarlett is going to sit down and talk to Grant about it in the next few chapters (probably around/on her b-day), to essentially explain her view of it all. I just want to paint the picture of what he’s seeing based on others’ opinions which sparks the conversation at the later date. He’s not a horrible dad, they just simply have a major disconnect. That is it.
> 
> **REMINDER : This story _is_ based in the MCU _however_ the timeline does not follow exactly because the MCU timeline is not 100% nailed down and very frustrating to figure out. Therefore, Steve being awake longer before the Battle of New York is not really legit, _but_ the timeline is so messed that I’m just taking my liberties with it. Don’t like it, then please stop reading here. Steve doesn’t make very many appearances in this story as it is centered around Grant/Scarlett. For that, you will have to wait patiently for my Meet the Captains to be in a place where I am ready to post it.**
> 
> Apologies for a long chapter, but hopefully this will hold you over until I finish chapter 8.
> 
> Thank you and now on to our regularly scheduled **Hydra** / _Shield_ debacle.

**Chapter 7**

**Holly Jolly Christmas**

Scarlett had finally broken Grant down and convinced him to join her at Gracelynn’s apartment for Christmas. It didn’t really help much that she’d basically bought a train ticket for him and helped him pack his duffel for the week. She was definitely more excited than he was about this mini vacation. They were taking the train up from Virginia so it wasn’t a short ride, but it was still fun. They’d just piled up and watched movies the whole ride up. Plus it had given Grace and Steve plenty of time to clean the guest room out since that last time she had seen it had been used for storage. 

Grant, however, was far from the excited mass of energy that Scarlett was. He was essentially going into the lion’s den. He was **Hydra** and he was going to the home of a _Shield_ agent… But not just **_any_** _Shield_ agent. No, Scarlett’s oldest cousin just _had_ to be Gracelynn Margaret Mariana Carter. He was royally fucked the minute he walked through the door. She’d know. She would absolutely know that he was **Hydra** and immediately hand him over to Fury on a silver platter. He’d never see Scarlett again.

When they finally arrived, Grant was somewhat surprised to see they had the apartment to themselves. Scarlett just let them in with her key and made her way to the guest room. He followed behind her, watching as she tossed her duffel onto the queen sized bed.

“So we’re bunking together?” He asked sitting his duffel down as well.

“Yeah… They had another guest room, but Grace had it converted into a home gym for her and Steve.” She smiled taking her coat off and tucking it in the closet. “It’s better than us trying to figure out how to sleep in a twin bed like we do at the academy, right?”

“I just figured that she wouldn’t approve of us sleeping together in her apartment is all.” Grant smiled though, temporarily forgetting that this might be the last time he actually saw her smile for himself instead of in memories. He slid out of his coat as well, moving to hang it up in the closet but she took it from him. He started to sit down on the bed, but the door of the apartment opening again had him on his toes.

“I’m pretty sure she knows we’re not having sex. So I don’t think she’s going to complain.” Scarlett walked over to him, just about to kiss the worry lines he probably didn’t know he was showing when they both heard the apartment door open.

“Scarlett!” Came a female voice entering the apartment. Scarlett took his hand, pulling him behind her into the living room. She let go of him when she saw the woman, running to her.

“Gracie!” She practically screamed hugging the older woman, despite the height difference between them. Meanwhile, Grant was evaluating every exit he had as an option when he saw Steve. Scarlett seemed to have left out the crucial detail that her cousin was  _ dating _ Captain America. Scarlett pulled away, moving to hug Steve as well.

“Welcome home, doll.” Steve smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Grace has been counting down the days for you two to get here.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Scarlett?” Grace asked, shuffling out of her shoes and coat. 

“Oh. I forgot.” Scarlett smiled walking over to Grant, pulling him towards the two as Steve slipped out of his own coat and scarf. “Grace, Steve, this is Grant Ward. Grant, this is my cousin Gracelynn and her boyfriend, Steve Rogers.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Grant said, extending his hand out to shake Grace’s but she quickly enveloped him into a hug. Grant froze for a moment before slowly returning the hug.

“Sorry… Forgot to warn you, she’s a hugger.” Scarlett laughed, noticing as Grant slightly tensed. He usually only tolerated her hugs… And that was barely. “He’s not, Grace.”

“Well if he’s going to be running around with you, he’ll just have to get used to it. We’re a hugging family.” Grace teased as she let him go before heading to the kitchen. “The two of you had anything to eat yet?”

Steve walked up and shook Grant’s hand with a smile before moving past the two of them to their bedroom, their tabby cat leaving as he did to come to the living room. Scarlett shook her head, moving to sit at the bar as Gracelynn moved about the kitchen.

“Not really. We had a snack on the train up but nothing else.” Scarlett answered, making herself comfortable. “I’m guessing you have an idea.”

“Well, I was thinking why don’t we go do dinner at Marelli’s and then head down to Rockefeller Center for hot chocolate and the tree lighting?” Grace suggested, looking around the kitchen. “Everything I basically have is for dinner on Christmas Eve.”

“Are we still doing pajamas?”

“Of course! Just because you bring someone home with you doesn’t mean we still won’t do Christmas Eve dinner and pjs! It’s a freaking tradition.” Gracelynn smiled, glad that Scarlett was still excited about the tradition. “So Marelli’s?”

Scarlett looked over at Grant, smiling. “What do you think?”

“Why don’t the three of you go? I think I’m ready to call it a night.” Grant tried to lie, hoping he could get on the next train  _ back _ to the Academy if he was lucky.

“Nope. Not going to work, Ward,” Gracelynn smirked watching him. He seemed shocked that she had caught him in the lie. “Your left eye twitches when you lie, hun. You’re going to dinner with us.”

Scarlett hid a giggle behind her hand, getting up to go and grab their jackets. She heard Grant move to follow her without even having to look. He shut the door behind them as she made her way to the closet.

“How does she do that?” He asked, still somewhat in shock as she grabbed their coats. “How did she know? I mean… It twitches but not..”

“Grace has perfect vision, Grant.. Like scary perfect vision. It’s why she has the lowest times on the sniper ranges.” She smiled as she tossed him his coat. “Stop having a fit and have some fun. Please?”

Grant stared for a moment as she walked over to him, still holding his coat in front of him. Scarlett stood on her toes, stealing a short kiss. “Fine… But what about this tradition of Christmas Eve dinner and pajamas?”

“I’ll tell you all about it when we get back and get ready for bed.” She disappeared out the door, smile still plastered on her face. “Though I’ve seen your version of pajamas… There will be children present so we might have to fix that.”

“My briefs aren’t enough?” He asked with a smirk of his own.

“So he’s like Steve?” Grace’s words sent a blush through his cheeks, making Scarlett smile. She liked the look of it on his face. Though she had never really experienced it because she never could get him to do anything but smile… But dammit she liked it. “Come on. I just called and made a reservation. Steve’s gone to start the car already.”

“Didn’t you two just get home?” Scarlett asked as she started fixing her scarf.

“We did but we took Steve’s truck,” Grace answered as she walked over to Scarlett, wrapping the scarf for her and tucking it into her coat. “You know how he is. And I hate driving in the snow.”

Steve had one actual vehicle besides his motorcycle and it was a truck with a single bench seat in it. And he loved that truck a little more than he probably should. Grant followed behind them both, watching as Scarlett seemed to be a little more relaxed than he’d seen her before. He, however, was still on edge and he could tell it was starting to make Grace curious. They’d had very little interactions outside her weapons class and he’d made sure of that. The last thing he wanted was to be locked away in one of  _ Shield _ ’s facilities and being pumped for information he didn’t have.

Grace’s black Mercedes was already warming in the parking garage, Steve standing by the passenger side door as he waited for them. Grant was shocked when he opened the back door for Grace and Scarlett. He’d been hoping for the opportunity to be next to her in the car, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards.

“They haven’t really seen one another in months so I figured they’d end up taking the backseat.” Steve seemed to read his confusion, a smiled offered. “Besides, there’s no ability to pry them apart for the first 24 hours. We’ll be lucky if either of them goes to bed a reasonable hour.”

Of course, Steve was right. When they all finally got back to the loft after the tree lighting, Grace and Scarlett had curled themselves up in front of the fireplace in their pajamas, leaving Steve and Grant to their own devices.

“Scarlett mentioned you had your own home gym?” He asked as they stood in the kitchen watching the two of them.

“Yeah. She usually steers clear. Gracelynn doesn’t use it much because she’ll use the one at the New York office when she’s there unless she’s off work or working from home. It’s mostly just for me.” Steve was busy making them both coffee. “Need something to preoccupy yourself while they’re chatting?”

“Better than sitting and watching them, right?” Grant wasn’t sure how Steve would feel about that. Any other time, he would most likely watch Scarlett like a hawk, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t really that necessary here. Garrett would try to hurt her here if he knew anything, right?

“I couldn’t agree more. But first, coffee.” Steve hadn’t always been a fan of the stuff, but sometimes he needed it after a day with Grace and Scarlett. One alone didn’t run him down badly, the two together… Well that was something he had yet to grow used to in the last year or so. Grant took the mug he offered, still watching the two of them.

“They don’t get to do this often?” Grant asked curious. Scarlett didn’t talk much about her family other than small references. 

“Grace works constantly. It’s a miracle we’re dating sometimes.” Steve started leaning against the counter, his back to them. “Fury’s grooming her to be the next director of  _ Shield _ so she’s still doing a lot of learning plus trying to find her replacement. She’s Fury’s in house right hand so she needs someone who’s like her to take the position when Fury’s ready to step down. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for the two of them to actually spend time with one another. They have a cousin between them, Sharon… Though I’m starting to think she doesn’t really exist.”

“Never met her?” He was enjoying learning more about Scarlett.

“Never. She’s dedicated to her work so she’s very rarely stateside.” Grant nodded, broken from his train of thought when he heard Scarlett and Grace laughing. “Come on, let’s give them their privacy.”

He just followed behind Steve, leaving his mug sitting on the counter as the two women continued their chatting. They didn’t even notice the two of them exiting the room.

“So you met Scarlett at the academy?” Steve asked as they walked into the carpeted gym area.

“Yeah.” Grant wasn’t sure if there was much more to it. “We just hit it off really well..”

“They’re like magnets.” Steve knew what Grant was getting at. “It was the same with Grace and me. Fury made her my handler and then… Well, here we are.”

“Good thing to know I’m not the only one.” He couldn’t help but smile as he walked over to the treadmill. “She pushed me away for the longest… And then I caught her going to the gym…”

“How quickly did she put you on the mat?” He was cutting to the chase, and even Grant had to admit that him falling over his words wasn’t as embarrassing in front of the super soldier as he thought it would be.

“Within the first few seconds.” Grant answered, smiling fondly at the memory. She wasn’t the first, but Natasha hadn’t counted when using him to demonstrate to some of the female cadets that size didn’t matter if you practiced. “She’s good.”

“She’s had a lot of practice. Plus she chose that over doing ballet. Grace took that route.” Steve explained, not looking up as he set the bench weights up for himself. “However, I don’t think it’s necessary to tell you that if you hurt her that you’re going to have more than hellfire coming down on you.”

“I figured as much with my luck…. Her dad wasn’t the nicest to me during thanksgiving.” Grant admitted as he turned the machine on, slowly upping the speed.

“Phil’s had a hard time adjusting from what Grace has said. I’ve yet to meet the man. She’s his only daughter and he lost her mother when she was only three.” Steve slowly began his reps now that he’d set the bench up for himself. “If you’re really interested, then just keep making her happy. The last thing he’ll do is say no because that’s what you do for her.”

“Good to know.” He was enjoying the moment of actually having someone give him a chance besides Scarlett. Grace had seemed to welcome him with open yet hesitant arms, but Steve was treating him like family… or at least seemed to be. The two continued on with their workouts, discussing different topics as the night went on.

Meanwhile, Grace and Scarlett were still chattering away in the living room, hot chocolate still warm between their hands. Scarlett was just grateful for the time with Grace as she hadn’t seen much of her since before she left for the Academy. Fury was keeping her busy so more often than not her class wasn’t being instructed by her.

“So what’s the story with you and Mr. Ward?” Grace asked curiously as she watched her cousin. The tiny flush in Scarlett’s cheeks at the mention of him told her everything. 

“Well… He offered to help me start a fire during Clint’s class. I told him no but he was pretty persistent afterwards. There’s like this magnetism between us that we can’t ignore… He just gets me, Grace.” Scarlett sipped at her hot chocolate for a moment, trying to figure out how to best explain it. “I mean, you and Sharon know me, but he just…”

“Knows how to say the right thing at the right time?” She’d been there as well with Steve. The two got along so well that most people got sick of them quickly.

“And a whole lot of other things.” Scarlett smiled even more now, suddenly glad she could talk to Grace about him without an issue.

“So are you two…” Grace winked, not wanting to say the words aloud to keep Scarlett from freaking out.

“No. We were headed that way and I just couldn’t. Not after the last time.” The younger Carter answered as she looked at the fire. “I’m just not in that place with him yet and I don’t want to screw what could just end up being a good friendship up…. Plus I haven’t told him anything yet about what happened.”

“Kiddo, he’s smitten. He might not say it, but that boy loves you. You have to see that at least a little. He wouldn’t have let you drag him all the way up here if he didn’t. So you’re going to have to eventually tell him.” Grace was right of course, but she had a horrible knack for that usually. “Have you two talked about your feelings for one another?”

“Other than the night we made out, no… I don’t want to either. Putting labels on things makes everything messy. The girls all know to steer clear of him… And the guys know the same about me. There’s no need to label anything.” 

“You know that will only work for so long. The whole world isn’t going to know, Scarlett. And you’re going to have to figure it out eventually because you don’t have much choice in the matter.” Grace had learned that the hard way. Despite her unnaturally green eyes, the shade of jealousy green was not her color. “I’m a jealous creature at times, Scarlett, but you are worse. You need to address your feelings with him at the least so that you’re not getting hurt.”

“We will, but right now I think we’re both pretty happy, Grace. There’s no need for it now. Besides, who knows if it will ever get that far. We might just be meant to be friends.” 

“Sure, with the way he looks at you he  _ just  _ wants to be friends.” This earned Grace a laugh from Scarlett, sending the younger girl rolling on the floor after she’d managed to put her mug on the nearby coffee table.

Grant and Steve had already called it a night by the time the two women found their way to bed. Scarlett tried her best to be as quiet as possible due to Grant being a light sleeper. She slipped out of her socks and slid under the covers on the queen bed without disturbing anything or making a noise. Once she’d gotten comfortable she felt his arm slide around her waist, almost scaring her if she hadn’t remembered it was just him.

“What time is it?” He mumbled into her hair, pulling her tightly to him. She loved feeling the rumble of his voice through his chest.

“Nearly 3am.” She whispered back, pulling her pillow closer. “Go back to sleep. Grace or Steve will wake us up for breakfast once it’s ready.”

“I was asleep. You woke me up.” He commented, kissing her neck. “Did you enjoy visiting with your cousin?”

“Yes, now go back to sleep… Tomorrow’s going to be long.” She turned in his arms, snuggling up under his chin. Grant just smiled, kissing the top of her head and following her instructions.

The next morning, Grant woke up in a haze to find Scarlett missing. For a moment he had forgotten where he was until he looked around. They were at her cousin’s loft. Her boyfriend was Captain America. And he’d basically hung out with the guy the whole entire night before. Grant grudgingly got up, slipped on a pair of pajama pants, and headed out to the dining room/kitchen area.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Grace commented, but Grant did say a word as he beelined straight for the pot of coffee and fixed himself a cup. “Oh, he’s like Steve and you. No talking before coffee.”

“Yep,” Scarlett answered, though she was already on her third cup that morning. “Sorry, we let you sleep in since you were out cold when Grace came to wake us.”

“No, that’s fine. Probably the best night of sleep I’ve had in awhile.” Grant commented, now somewhat awake after his first couple sips of coffee. He slept pretty decently in either of their dorm rooms, but it wasn’t always as restful as he would have preferred it be. He was mostly too worried about Garrett barging in and finding her in his bed.

“Gee, thanks,” Scarlett sassed for a moment, before smiling at him cheekily. “No, I don’t blame you. I feel the same way even if I did get less sleep than I normally do.”

“The academy will wear you out. I can definitely attest to that,” Grace agreed, very thankful that she had finished her time there years before with Sharon. “So you two have any plans today?”

Scarlett was mid-chew as Grace asked, forcing her to quickly finish and swallow.

“Nothing definite that I know of. I kind of wanted to drag Grant down to the park and a few other places.” She also knew that they needed to get him appropriate pajamas for the christmas dinner. Plus, she was wanting to get a few presents for people - Grant included. “Though I’m pretty much down for anything.”

“Why don’t we wait until tomorrow for the park?” Grant suggested, still somewhat asleep despite the cup of coffee he was slowly drinking. “I really wouldn’t mind just hanging here.”

“Well, I have some last minute christmas shopping to do,” Grace started, relaxing in her chair. “Steve does too… So why don’t we switch out?”

“You mean Grant goes with you and Steve gets me?” Scarlett questioned, wondering what her cousin was up to. “You think that’s a good idea…”

“Well, Grant can stay here if he wants, but he’s more than welcome to join me.” Grace offered, collecting her plate and taking it to the kitchen.

Grant had decided to stay out of the conversation for a moment, giving his coffee time to actually kick in. He was more concerned with waking up so that he could be on his toes around Grace if he did decide to go out with her. Part of him really preferred the idea of him going with Steve since they’d talked the night before, but it probably wasn’t an option on the table.

“You okay with that?” Scarlett asked turning to look at him. She wouldn’t mind going with Steve as it would be easier to get some last minute Christmas shopping done for the last few people on her list. 

“That’s fine with me.” Grant started filling his plate, slowly digging in on his breakfast. “I just need to actually eat something… And have a few more cups of coffee.”

Grace nodded as she came back to sit down at the table with them. Steve was still eating, not really awake himself. He just hadn’t ever been a real morning person. Sure he got up and worked out early but other than that he pretty much was silent until he’d eaten enough as well as had enough coffee. This was why Scarlett and Steve got along so well. Neither were morning people and kept to themselves until they had consumed the right amount of coffee. Scarlett just needed to consume considerably less than Steve. The conversation shifted discussing how the rest of the week was going to look.

“The team will be here no later than Tuesday, but Trip won’t be here until after due to finally getting to visit with his mom and dad. Grams, Gramma, and Gramps will be here tomorrow.” Grace bit her lip as she thought, trying to make sure that she’d covered everyone.

“Dad won’t be here. You know how he is.” Scarlett looked to Grant now. “He doesn’t come to the christmas party because of what happened at the last one. He usually always just dropped me off with Aunt Cami, Grace, and Uncle Alistair and they brought me to all the family get togethers.”

“I hate to be  _ that _ person, but he needs to get over it.” Grace shook her head at Steve’s comment. Usually the reserved soldier kept his mouth shut, but this was one topic he had become extremely sensitive to. “No, do not shake your head, Grace. Phil needs to grow up. I get it! He blames himself, but not coming to family gatherings isn’t going to magically bring her back  _ or _ make it hurt less.” 

“And I couldn’t agree more. But he’s not coming. He does this every at Christmas. Let him do it.” Scarlett grabbed her now empty plate and took it to the sink before heading back towards the guest room. “I’m going to get a hot shower and get dressed.”

Grace looked at Steve, taking his half full plate - this being his third plate - and dumped it into the garbage. Grant just observed, hoping that this wasn’t about to blow up into a huge fight.

“Go get dressed, Steve. You caused it. You fix it.” She simply said, walking over to him and kissing his cheek. She then turned to Grant, an apologetic smile on her face as Steve got up and went into their room. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I usually avoid talking about Uncle Phil because of their rocky relationship. Usually this isn’t a problem, but sometimes Steve just hates how hurt she gets.”

“I feel the same way he does after all she’s told me. What is he going to do when she’s married and has kids? Avoid spending holidays with them?” Grant posed the question, curious about Grace’s take on it.

“We all agree with Steve, Grant.” Grace sat back down at the table now, nursing her mug of tea. “Scarlett likes to avoid things that are beyond her control. Convincing Uncle Phil to show up to christmas isn’t in her realm. So she let’s it go. It’s a good practice for her, especially going into  _ Shield _ . What she  _ can _ control is who she spends her holidays with… And she chose to spend them with you and the rest of her family, blood and extended. Steve brought up what she didn’t want to talk about. If he’d left her explanation to you alone, then we might have gotten a longer breakfast.”

“So what’s he going to do to fix it?” He was probably curious for all the wrong reasons. He liked being the person she came to for things like this and was now somewhat jealous that Captain America was going to be spending the day with his girl.

“The usual. They’ll go shopping for a little bit, let Scarlett get her last minute presents out of the way that she didn’t have ordered and sent here. And then he’ll take her to their favorite little diner and have a late lunch. He’ll apologize, most likely take her ice skating at central, and whatever else she deems necessary for his apology to be considered accepted.” Grace’s smile grew. “Our grandmother he got. Apologizing to Peggy Carter isn’t that hard. I’m similar enough to her, but Scarlett… Oh she likes to put him through the ringer. She reminds him of his best friend’s little sister so he tries to do a lot of things with her and make things up to her.”

Steve came back out, dressed in his slacks and a button up shirt. He had barely caught the tail end of their conversation, smirking at Grace’s comment.

“She’s also the only female I’m afraid of besides Peggy.” Steve walked over to Grace, kissing the top of her head. “Sorry, love.”

“No, I know how bad she is. Sharon and I wouldn’t let her come spend the night after we got her drunk on her twenty-first birthday and puked her guts out because of it.” Grace shuddered at the thought. “She’s the queen of pranks and will get you back for it.”

Grant just nodded, finding that the Scarlett he was falling for had so many more layers to her than he had experienced so far. He had realized that there was more, but he had a feeling that he was going to be introduced to a great deal of it while they were visiting with her family now.

“You haven’t experienced that part of her yet, have you?” Even he had to admit, her cousin was more curious than she was.

“No. We don’t exactly have that much free time. Most nights we just pile up and watch a movie in her room or mine.” Grant finished his plate, taking it to the sink. “And when we’re not doing that, we’re in the gym.”

“Typical her. Nothing else to do, so she focuses on her studies.” 

A few minutes later, Scarlett came back with her hair french braided back and dressed in one of her deep red sweaters. Grant couldn’t help but smile, breath stolen away for the millionth time since he had met her.

“Ready to go, Steve?” She asked, walking over to grab the travel mug she’d brought with her the day before. Grace had already filled it with hot chocolate for her.

“Ready when you are.” The super soldier grabbed his keys from the bowl on the counter. He came back to the table, quickly kissing Grace before following behind Scarlett. 

“Well, it’s just you and me and the cat.” Grace joked once the door had shut behind them. She picked up the cat - he’d yet to hear anyone call it by its name - and headed over to her room. “Just put your mug in the sink. I’m going to follow Scarlett’s lead and get a quick shower. I’ll probably put the dishes in the dishwasher before heading out. And you are more than welcome to join me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Grant replied, unsure of where he stood with the idea. 

On the one hand, he wanted to learn as much as he could about Scarlett as he truly knew very little except what she had revealed to him. Then there was the fact that he still wasn’t sure how well he’d been hiding the information from John and that he was _technically_ **Hydra**. But he bit the bullet, going to their guest room and getting changed into some clothes for the day. He still needed to look for a present for Scarlett, but hadn’t been able to with the Academy’s rules.

“So you’re joining me?” Grace asked as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. He was still slipping into his coat.

“Might as well.” He answered as he looked at her. “Plus, you seem to tell the most interesting stories about Scarlett.”

“I’ve got a ton that I will  _ gladly _ share with you.” He saw the resemblance now as Grace smiled. 

It was hard to tell when he first met her, but now he saw it. Grace was beautiful in her own right, the perfect blend of Stark and Carter. Scarlett and she had the same eyes though Grace’s were a deep green in comparison to Scarlett’s bright blue. They shared a lot of mannerisms as well, Grant noticed, as the oldest Carter started in on telling about Scarlett’s twenty-first birthday as they slowly made their way through the snow slush covered streets of New York City.

“Sharon and I share the blame for it,” she said in the end. “She’s never been one to drink except socially when we would let her at the family parties. We should have known better, but she also wouldn’t let us throw her a birthday party.”

“Why not?” Grant asked as Grace navigated her way into a parking garage.

“Phil’s missed a lot. I’m sure she’s told you at least that much.” She looked at him now, waiting for his acknowledgment. He just nodded, remembering her offhanded brush at the subject during Thanksgiving. “That includes quite a few birthdays. My mom and Aunt Melinda would work hard on a birthday party. All the family and friends would come… But he wouldn’t be there. And it’s not because of her mother dying. It started happening after she turned twelve.”

“Why would he do that to her?” Grant had never known or understood how his family treated him, but he’d always thought he’d done something wrong. He did know that Scarlett had done nothing and didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. He also couldn’t fathom someone forgetting about her.

“I think without someone reminding him, he forgets. But it’s been like that for a while now. So we just have dinner and pretend it’s every other day for her sake, because that’s what she asks us to do. We still do presents but never on the day of. Otherwise that’s a whole other bottle of problems to solve.” Grace answered, climbing out of the car. Grant followed suit, trailing behind her to the building. “So we take our time, do as she asks, and let Phil do as he pleases. It’ll boil over eventually and they’ll have it out. It never fails.”

“It happens often?” His curiosity seemed to be peaked as Grace told him everything that she knew. 

“Last time was two days after she graduated MIT. She informed him over dinner at Marelli’s that she was going to the academy in the fall. Thankfully we had the private room and Scarlett couldn’t throw a punch because she was in public… However when we all got back to the house in Long Island,” Grace paused for a moment, thinking about the proper way to phrase it. “Well, they had it out physically in the training room in the basement. All I know is that when they came back up, Uncle Phil wasn’t happy, but he’d stopped protesting about it.”

Grace pressed a button for the elevator in the parking garage as they stood together waiting. Across town, Scarlett was walking with Steve through her favorite place to shop, still on a mission for the one thing that seemed to elude her.

“You could at least tell me what you’re looking for, doll.” Steve commented as she kept walking. “I know you said something about Grant needing some christmas pajamas. Grace should have that taken care of by the time we get home.”

“It’s not that. Have you seen his ratty old converse?” She asked turning to look at the Captain. “I want to get him some new shoes. I have the size he has his old converse in, but I’m not sure if he’s going to like me buying him new shoes.”

“Scarlett, that boy is going to like whatever you get him.” Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulder now. “Because you’re thoughtful. And you carefully put that into every present you purchase. So why are you worried?”

“Because I don’t want him to think he has to get me something. I would just  _ really _ hate to be the person who doesn’t get anything when we open presents later this week… So the last thing I want is to put him in that situation.” Scarlett sighed as they continued on. “I don’t want him to get mad at me, Steve.”

“Even if he does, doll, he’s not going to do it in front of everyone else.” He smiled, rubbing her back gently. “He’s not going to make a scene over a pair of shoes.”

“I don’t know him well enough to know he won’t.” Scarlett answered, thinking about just how well she knew Grant. The truth was she didn’t. But they were still in what most people called the Honeymoon Phase. Everything was perfect and they didn’t need to know more. 

“Scarlett, even I can tell he’s not that kind of guy. And if you can’t read his body language, maybe you need to talk to him about it.” Steve moved Scarlett out of the bustle and into a corner. “He’s not going to run away, Scarlett. He loves you, if Grace hasn’t blatantly told you yet.”

“Love is a  _ really _ strong word, Steve.” She didn’t like the word usually, and even more so she rarely used it. “I mean I can always get gift receipts if he doesn’t want or like them.”

“Love pretty much covers it, sweetie. You’re just going to have to deal with it.” He smiled, pulling her back to the sea of people. “Now, where do you want to start?”

“Grace, Nat, and Grant are the only ones left on my list at this point. So I’d rather leave Grant for last.” Scarlett answered, somewhat glad she’d left the hardest to shop for for last. 

“Good, I need to get Grace’s present as well. Everytime I’m home we’re going place together, so I don’t have the free moment to actually go pick her present out.” Steve pulled her into one of the stores he knew Grace frequented. “What were you thinking about getting her?”

“A new bag. Fury keeps complaining - or so Nat says - that her bag she uses to haul all her stuff around is falling apart at the seams.” Scarlett looked to Steve for some kind of confirmation.

“She could use a new one. That’s for sure… But what else are you thinking about getting her?” Steve knew she liked to try to get something practical if she could.

“I don’t know. It’s why I saved the three of them for last. Grace and Natasha are hard to shop for.” Scarlett aimlessly walked ahead of Steve, picking random things up. “Grace more so than most. I can get Natasha a few new scarves and she’ll be happy with that.”

“Very true,” Steve smiled, knowing he’d already picked out Grace’s present himself months ago. He just hadn’t been able to pick it up until now. “No clue what you want to get her then?”

“No clue.” She had her back to him now, wandering around the store again.

Steve just let her, knowing she needed her space to think. He’d touched a nerve that morning and he knew that he needed to give her enough space until she was ready for him to apologize. So he let her wander around. That was something Steve didn’t mind about either of them. They both always let him know when they were ready to talk. But he thought of Scarlett as his little sister, and it bothered him when he was the “horrible big brother” that seemed to ruin things for her. Letting her have her space was the best way to let her calm down and get her thoughts together. She stayed within eyesight, slowly making her way through the store.

“What do you think of Grant?” She asked as she made her way back over to where he was looking.

“What do you mean what do I think of him?” He returned, noticing she was carrying something which turned out to be scarves. “Find something interesting?”

“For Natasha, yes.” She wasn’t sure what she meant by her question, curious about everyone’s opinion of Grant. “I guess what you do make of him? You two hung out last night together.”

“He seems nice, Scarlett. He likes you, and I warned him he’d have more than hellfire coming after him if he did something to hurt you.” Steve wasn’t really sure what he thought of Grant to be honest. “He’s guarded though, doll. You need to be careful.”

“I know he is… But he won’t let me in.” She commented as they made their way deeper into the store. “He had a hard childhood and I get that he doesn’t want to let anyone in… So I’m just giving him time.”

“And what exactly have you shared with him?” Steve knew how hard it was for her to share the painful things with people that weren’t considered part of her family. “And be honest about how much you have shared.”

“I told him about mum dying. I was only three so I don't remember much.” Scarlett answered, looking at her feet now. “I’ve told him about the general issue dad and I have with one another, but I haven’t told him much else.”

“I’d suggest doing so then, Scarlett.. It might help that wall between the two of you fall because it’s a two way street.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. “Come on, let’s get Natasha’s scarves and we’ll move on to find Grace a new bag. And then we’ll see what we can’t find for Grant.”

The two ended up at their favorite local diner after Steve picked up Grace’s Christmas present and Scarlett had collected a few things for Grant. She relaxed into the booth where they sat, deep breathing as they ate their burgers. It was one of the diners that had managed to update since Steve was a kid so it was one of the places that he frequented when they were in Brooklyn.

“You’re looking lean.” He smiled, watching as she picked at her fries. “Not hungry?”

“Starving, but… I’m thinking about what Grace said about Grant and me last night.” Steve paused at that statement, looking at her. “You look like she just signed his death certificate.”

“What did she tell you?” He asked, worried that Grace’s advice would end the blooming relationship before it began.

“She just said that we need to talk about our feelings. That I need to at least say how I feel so that I’m not going to get hurt if he doesn’t feel the same.” She shrugged. “I just don’t know how to start the dialogue.”

“Scarlett, you can start a conversation about anything.” Steve got up now, joining her on the other side of the table. “You can talk to him about this because you care about him. And you want the both of you to be happy, right?” He waited for her to nod before he hugged her. “That’s all that matters, doll. He loves you though. That much is unmistakable.”

That earned him a smile as he pulled his plate over to her side of the table and they both finally dug in on their food. Back across town, Grace and Grant were having lunch themselves before beginning the last of Grace’s shopping.

“So you mean to tell me, she hasn’t dated since?” Grant asked surprised by the story Gracelynn had just told him. Scarlett was one of the most attractive women at the academy. How was it possible that she hadn’t dated since high school. 

“Oh, she’s dated. She just hasn’t dated a person of the male species since high school. Don’t take it the wrong way, Grant. It was hard on her growing up without Phil around for the most part. He wasn’t there to scare the wrong kind of guy off and he’s jumping into it far too late in the game.” Grace answered as she slowly mixed the dressing in with her salad. “But now she has you and whatever is going on between the two of you.”

“What has she said exactly?” Now he was curious to see how Scarlett was seeing whatever this was between them.

“Not much to be honest. Just that the two of you are feeling your way through this.” She answered offhandedly as she started in on her salad. “We all just want her to be happy, Grant, because it has been a while since her smile was a genuine as it was this morning at breakfast. So, just keep that in mind.”

Grant nodded as he started in on his own turkey club. “Is there anyone else you need to go shopping for while we’re out?”

“Scarlett is the last on my list. I can usually get everyone but hers done before the holidays. Hers is a little harder to pinpoint, but she’d tell you the same thing about me.” Grace smiled as they sat there together. “Though I think no one will top what Gramps got her this year.”

“Why do you say that?” He really couldn’t stop with the questions where they concerned Scarlett.

“You’ve seen her hummingbird tattoo on her ribcage, right? Well, that’s been his nickname for her since we were kids. He got her a box of hummingbird christmas ornaments that were hand-carved by some woodworker in Italy. He’s really proud of himself this year.”

Grant nodded, knowing that nothing would most likely top that. The little that Scarlett spoke of her family always seemed to center around the role that Daniel Sousa-Carter played in her life. If anything, he was the only father figure she had experienced in her life and Grant was starting to find a fondness for the man he hadn’t met. Even if it was only just for the comfort that he seemed to bring to Scarlett.

“So what are you planning on getting her?” Grace asked after a few moments and he could tell she was watching him for a reaction.

“I.. I wasn’t honestly sure about what I should get her.. Or if I should get her anything.” Grant answered, looking up from his sandwich. “She’s kind of…”

“Your first girlfriend? Even though you two aren’t using labels,” Grant nodded as Grace spoke, trying to stay calm. “Don’t worry. I think I can help.” He was starting to think there was something about these Carter women because they were too good at offering a smile that seemed to calm him.

“Playing big sister?” He asked as Grace quickly paid for their food.

“I happen to be a fan of adopting family, Grant… And if you’re going to be around Scarlett, you might as well start accepting you’ll be adopted in no matter how the two of you work out.” Her offer was genuine as she spoke, standing up to leave. “Come on. I know the perfect place to go shopping for her.”

That night the four of them were settled into the living room. Scarlett and Steve had gotten back before them so they’d wrapped presents and had them under the tree by the time Grace and Grant returned to the loft. Scarlett quickly traded her spot next to Steve for curling up with Grant on the chaise lounge that Grace had.

“How did you two fair today?” Steve asked as Grace went for the drawer with the takeout menus.

“Grant’s better at keeping up with me than you.” Grace laughed as she walked over with the Chinese menu. “You two up for Chinese?”

“I never turn down good takeout,” Scarlett laughed, her head resting on Grant’s chest as he slowly played with the end of her braid. “The usual amount of food?”

“Well we have to make sure Super Soldier here gets fed.” It was their own personal joke because Steve ate so much more food than the rest of them. “I’ll order five of everything.”

“That’ll take forever.” Scarlett sighed sitting up now. “I think it’s naptime.”

“I think I’m going to join you on that one.” Grant followed after her to the room they were sharing, finding her already crawling into bed. “I still need to put on comfortable clothes.”

“I’ll keep my eyes closed,” she giggled, pulling his pillow over her face. “Hurry, I’m cold!”

Grant shook his head at her actions, quickly switching his pants out and stripping to the wife beater he’d worn under his henley for the day. Once he was finished, he quickly crawled into the bed next to her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Are you going to give me my pillow back?” He asked and she peeked out from under it. 

“Maybe. I quite like how dark it is.” She smiled but handed over his pillow anyways.

The two slowly got comfortable next to one another, Scarlett falling asleep first. Grant watched her, enjoying the moment to just relax next to her. He thought for a moment about what Grace had said while they were at lunch. He had to admit, finally getting to have a family - even if it were a little unconventional - seemed like a dream. But here he was, getting to experience that for that first time since he had been a child. He finally settled down next to her, closing his eyes and letting himself drift into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. It totaled 13 pages and I hope it holds you all over until I can finished Chapter 8 - which will hopefully be soon. So have a wonderful weekend!


	9. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the annual Carter Christmas dinner affair. Everyone is there, giving Grant a bit of anxiety with all the closeness despite the massive size of the loft. But to his surprise, there’s a few presents under the tree with his name on them. Scarlett’s known for having a few tricks up her sleeve, so what does she have planned for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Grant’s first christmas with the Carters. It’s probably gonna be more than be bargained for but we’ll just see how our dear little **Hydra** boy handles it.

**Chapter Eight**

**"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"**

Grant was almost sad at how fast the week had gone by. It wasn’t just because they were out of the scrutiny of the academy, but he had really enjoyed meeting all of Scarlett & Grace’s friends. He’d quickly found out why Scarlett had a hummingbird tattooed on her ribcage when he’d first met her grandfather, Daniel Sousa-Carter.  He’d also found out why Scarlett didn’t talk about her nicknames all that much. It seemed to be the only thing half of her friends called her by.

What had surprised him the most though was how he’d actually not freaked out considering how packed the loft had been most of the time. Other than the first couple of days they’d been there, the loud noises of the Howling Commando grandchildren filing in at random times as well as a few other select friends hadn’t even bothered him. Plus, Scarlett’s easiness around them made it a little more tolerable… And well she hadn’t left his side much other than to hug someone or grab them something to snack on, so he was extremely more relaxed than normal.

“Okay, so we’ve had dinner.. Can we do presents already?” Micah, the younger of the Montgomery boys, asked. He soon found himself pelted with pillows. “What?! I was just askin’.”

“You know the rules.” Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him before snuggling more into Grant’s side. And the look he gave them both didn’t go unnoticed by Grant at all. 

“Christ, Katie Scarlett, you’d think you’d be ready to pass presents out.” Micah's older brother, Jackson, quickly commented as he came from the kitchen with a couple mugs of hot chocolate. He handed her the black cat mug with a smile. “Loads of milk chocolate and mini marshmallows, just like you like it.”

“Thank you.” Scarlett scowled at the nickname, but it quickly faded when Grant kissed the top of her head. “I’m ready to, but you know how Grams is…”

“Dishes must be cleaned or at least in the dishwasher before we begin presents.” All of them quoted together, and in mocking British accents. And in that moment, Grant felt like he was finally at home. 

“And who exactly thinks that’s a horrible rule?” Peggy Carter asked walking from the kitchen area to the living room. She settled herself down between Daniel and Angie, sitting on the couch next himself and Scarlett. “Your accent is getting better, darling.”

“Thank you,” Scarlett seemed to smile like the cheshire cat now, proud to have earned some form of affection from Peggy. “So can we start opening presents now?”

“I don’t see why not. Unless your cousin has some objection to it?” Peggy looked to Grace as she came in from the kitchen herself, quickly making herself at home between Steve and the fireplace on the floor.

“No objections here. Besides, I want to see the look on Scarlett’s face when she sees what Gramps got her.” Grace’s smile was almost evil as she eyed the large package that Daniel had wrapped in a black matte wrapping paper. 

“Gimme!” Scarlett answered, quickly sitting her mug down on the table and moving towards the tree. Grant had to give Grace credit, Daniel’s present might not be topped.

“Oldest first. Which means Steve gets to open his first.” Grace was torturing her on purpose, and it was working. Steve wasn’t about to get in trouble again with Scarlett so he shook his head.

“I think it’s her turn this year. You always do this to her.” Steve bent down and kissed the top of her hair. “Let Scarlett go first, love.”

“You take all the fun out of it,” she said, relenting through as she waved Scarlett on to grab the box from Daniel. 

Scarlet quickly began ripping the wrapping paper off, pulling per pocket knife out to cut the tape open.

“Be careful with the box, hummingbird. You’ll need it.” Daniel smiled, Peggy patting his hand.

She quickly opened the flaps, pulling out a snow white box. Scarlett slid the top off, revealing different hummingbirds as Christmas ornaments. Plucking one out, she looked at it, tears in her eyes as she did. She quickly, but gently, put the bird back in its nest of tissue before going to Daniel and hugging him.

“Thank you, gramps,” she whispered in his ear as he hugged her back.

“You’re welcome, hummingbird. Now who’s next?” He asked smiling as she moved back to her seat next to Grant.

Slowly they all made it through the presents until Grant’s presents from Scarlett were the only ones left under the tree. It was Jackson who decided it was a good idea to point it out, though his words could have been a little… More appropriate.

“You two getting pretty serious, huh?” He joked pulling out the box that Scarlett knew contained Grant’s new converse. “Buying presents for one another?”

Grant looked at her as she sat up from her position of lounging on top of him. He didn’t say a word as Jackson passed the box over to him. He slowly ripped the paper free of the box, revealing the shoe box for the new converse. She had moved to sit cross legged between himself and Natasha, watching him closely. She was a bundle of nerves, and he knew why. Grant figured she probably hadn’t planned on giving him his presents until later once everyone else had left. He opened the box, noting the brand new pair that laid inside. He leaned over to her, gently kissing her. Any other action would have caused a scene and he wouldn’t do that to her. 

“Thank you.” The smile was faked, even she could tell as her breath came out as a sigh. She worried that she had overstepped her boundaries, trying to relax back into the couch as she waited for whatever was to come next.

Grant was suddenly glad that he had wrapped and then placed her gift in their room as it would give him the opportunity to speak with her in private. He waited until everyone else had left for the night, shocked - though well hidden - when Peggy gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving, to pull Scarlett into their room to speak with her. She followed, almost hesitantly, behind him to their room. She made herself comfortable on the bed, holding one of the pillows as she waited while he paced the floor.

“You’re mad.” Her words left no room for him to argue, almost sounding final. “I can take them back to the store.”

He turned to look at her now, stopping in his tracks. Did he want her to take them back? No, he didn’t want that. She’d been thoughtful yet practical with her gifts. Was he mad? Extremely so. He didn’t deserve her kindness - especially with how he would one day be forced into making her decide between  **Hydra** and  _ Shield _ . But there was no way he could tell her that was why he was angry.

“You shouldn’t have even gotten me anything.” He turned his back to her, trying to think of the best way to explain it without spilling his guts. “I don’t deserve any of this, Scarlett… I get that you were being thoughtful and all that… But you really shouldn’t have.”

“I’ll take them back tomorrow then.” Her voice was even, almost dead as she spoke. “We can act like I never got them for you.”

“That’s not the point!” He knew he’d raised his voice. He’d been trying to avoid that but her simple offer was the last thing he wanted to hear. “Scarlett, I’m not a good person. There are things that I haven’t told you because I don’t want to see the way you’ll look at me when you find out about them. I’m not the person you think I am.”

“Well then excuse me for trying to be nice! I didn’t want anyone guilt tripping either of us over me not getting you anything!” She finally bit back, looking at him. “Grace, Steve, and the rest of the family would have been fine with me not getting you anything. We just met and they get that! But the team wouldn’t have let me live it down though. I only did what little I did because I know that they are things that you will wear! So sue me for trying to avoid people being assholes about it!”

Grant watched her, noticing the tears that slowly started to spill from her eyes. He knew it wasn’t because he’d upset her - which he knew he had - but because she was just as pissed about it as he was. He took a deep breath as he went to the bed and sat next to her, not daring to try and hold her as she cried.

“You know that it wouldn’t have bothered me to make them shut up about it.” He tried his best to keep his voice calm as he spoke. “I would have.”

“It wouldn’t have stopped them, Grant. I know them all well enough to know that. So I’d rather you be pissed off at me than them never letting me live it down.” She answered as she put the pillow down now. “If you really don’t like them, I’ll take them back.”

Now that things seemed calmer, Grant wrapped his arms around her. He held her close to him, enjoying the moment when she tucked herself under his chin.

“I do like them, Scarlett.” He answered, kissing the top of her head. “I got you something too.”

“You really didn’t have to, Grant.” She replied, still laying in his arms. Neither seemed ready to actually move. “Though, I definitely got you more than just the shoes.”

“I didn’t think you stopped with the shoes either,” he admitted, still unsure how he felt about it. “So what else did you get me, babygirl?”

“A few more henleys.” She said innocently as she slid her hand into his. “And a hoodie.”

“And why do I need a hoodie?” He asked curiously though he had a feeling he knew the answer. 

“So I can steal it and it smells like you when I do.” So maybe the hoodie was more for her but she really didn’t care. She’d wanted to get it for him and she had. Plus it had the  _ Shield _ emblem on it so he could  _ technically _ wear it for classes. 

“Sounds pretty selfish of you,” he smiled though, squeezing her hand. “Well I didn’t get you much. Grace helped me pick it out.”

“She’s good at that.” Scarlett moved now, turning to look him in the eye. “Can we just wait til tomorrow for opening more presents? I’d rather just call it a night.”

“Sure,” He answered, kissing her gently. “You go get a shower. I’ll go get us some popcorn fixed and we can crash to a movie.” The smile that appeared on her face made his heart flutter just a little.

“You know, you do this relationship thing pretty well, 007.” She smiled, getting up and heading to the bathroom with her gym shorts and one of t-shirts. 

He was trying at least, wanting to at least experience something that made him feel normal before the world he knew would collapse. He waited to hear the shower turn on before he got up and headed down the hall to the kitchen. Steve and Grace were sitting on the couch, quietly talking to one another when he entered. They didn’t break away from their conversation until Grant had started the microwave to fix the popcorn.

“You two okay?” Grace asked, looking over at him now.

“Yeah… Just needed to talk. She’s getting a shower and then we’re going to pile up and watch movie.” He answered, not sure of how much of their conversation they’d heard.

“So no blood spilled? I don’t need to get the first aid kit out?” Grace went on to joke, smile on her face.

“She really reined herself in, Grant. She could have done what Grace did our first Christmas together.” Steve said earning him an elbow to the ribs. “What? I’m being honest. You went a little too crazy.”

“So what if I like to spoil the people I care about? We come by it naturally thanks to Gramma!” She commented, glaring at Steve.

“What did you do?” He asked out of curiosity as the microwave beeped that the popcorn was finished. It was Scarlett that answered as she came out towel drying her hair. 

“Oh she only bought him the truck he drives along with a whole new wardrobe of clothes that he only just started slowly wearing.” Scarlett answered for Grace as she walked over to Steve, handing him a comb. “French braid my hair,  _ s'il vous plaît _ ?” 

“ _ Asseyez-vous _ .” Steve smiled as she sat down as he’d asked in front of him. He gently started combing her long hair out before he settled in on braiding it. “You know how to do this, Grant?”

He shook his head as Steve started braiding her hair.

“My mother taught me and then I used to do it for Bucky’s sister.” Steve smiled as he made fast work of her hair. “It’s not a horrible thing to know how to do with these two around. I don’t like eating hair in my sleep.”

“I usually keep my pulled back when we sleep.” Scarlett answered as Steve finished, handing her back the comb. “ _ Merci _ .”

“ _ Pas de quoi _ .” Steve answered as she stood up and headed towards Grant. “So a movie and cuddling for the night?”

“Yep,” Scarlett answered, smiling a little. “Come on. The bed's getting cold.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Grant answered as he grabbed the bowl. “You want something to drink?”

Scarlett just grabbed a couple Sprites from the fridge before heading back to the bedroom ahead of him. He gave her time to get comfortable in the bed before he pulled one of the movies she’d brought with them out. Thankfully, Grace had the guest room set up with at TV and DVD player so they’d been set for the week on private quality time with one another. Grant handed her the popcorn before crawling into the bed beside her, letting her tuck herself into his left side. Here he hadn’t felt the need to be the closest to the door when they slept - a habit he hadn’t broken until now due to his need to feel as if she were safe. 

Scarlett fell asleep long before he did, but it wasn’t surprising as she’d been hyper throughout the entire day. He’d barely been able to keep up with her throughout the day as she’d bounced around the loft with her cousin and grandmothers. He’d just sat watching for the longest time. He just laid there now, watching her sleep next to him. How much longer would he have the opportunity to do this? Where was all this going?

These were the questions he asked himself as he finally moved the empty bowl of popcorn to the bedside table and laid down next to her in the bed. She moved closer to him, as if seeking out his warmth in her sleep. Grant just gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as she slept. He was regretting every decision that he’d made since he was fifteen. How was he supposed to turn his back on her and choose  **Hydra** over her? He still wasn’t sure that he could in the end of it all. 

The next morning, Grant woke up to find her curled up into his back. When had he turned over in his sleep? The feeling, however, wasn’t something he would trade for anything. Scarlett was pressed tightly into his back, face half buried in his neck as she slept. He didn’t dare pull away, her arm tucked under his at his side. There was no way he’d be able to extract himself and keep her from waking at the same time. So he laid his head back down on his pillow and resolved himself to fall back asleep because it was the closing of their vacation and their train was going back that night so there was very little time before the left the real world for the academy.

“Grant,” his name was mumbled from her lips as she pressed closer to him. The way she clung to him was familiar, but worried him all the same. He finally made his mind up to risk waking her as he moved to face her, noticing that she was thankfully still asleep. She pulled away in her sleep though, her face scrunching up. “No….”

That settled it as he gently tried to wake her, caressing her arm.

“Scarlett, wake up.” He called out quietly, concern on his face as she woke up. “Hey, baby…”

“What’s wrong?” She asked, looking at him. She noticed the look on his face, eyes blinking in disbelief.

“You sounded like you were having a bad dream.” He answered, watching her as she closed her eyes again.

“I don’t ever remember them to be honest. I never remember them.” She answered, shaking her head as he held her. She took a deep breath, only pausing when her brows furrowed. “Wait, how did you know I was having a nightmare?”

“You called my name,” Grant worried that her subconscious was telling her to run the other direction - the farther from him the better. She shifted closer, resting her head on his chest. “Then you said no.”

“Lord only knows,” Scarlett didn’t linger on her dreams or nightmares for long as she rarely remembered them, unless they were of her mother. And even then they were barely anything. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t, babygirl,” he answered, kissing the top of her head. “I was already awake.” 

They laid there for a few more moments before Scarlett pulled herself away, crawling out of the bed and heading towards the bathroom. Grant lay there, waiting until he heard the shower running to get up and start getting ready for the day. Grace and Steve would be dropping them off at the station to take the train back down. He settled for packing his bag as she took her shower, not quite used to the silence with her around. The next thing he knew, Scarlett was stepping out with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

“You want to grab one while I dry my hair?” She asked looking at him. Grant just shrugged, figuring he would take one once they got back to the academy. “It’s going to be late when we get back.”

“I know, but it’ll be okay.” He answered zipping his bag up. “You’re bag almost packed?”

“Just need to put my shower stuff in there,” Scarlett answered as she walked over, grabbing her dryer. “Grace and Steve had something today so we can just lock up behind us and go to the station. I’ll go dry my hair and we can decide what we want to do until we have to be at the station.”

Grant smiled before he piled back up in the bed, not realizing he had dozed off until he felt her running her fingers through his hair. God, he didn’t want to go back. He just wanted to stay there with her and never let the outside world come in on them. He turned over, looking up at her.

“You sure you got enough sleep this week? I know we all were… A little too excited.” She wasn’t sure how to put it. They rarely all saw one another except at funerals so holidays were usually spent trying to enjoy everyone’s company.

“I’ll nap on the way back.” Grant answered, looking up at her. “You ready?”

“Ready when you are.” She smiled, leaning down to quickly kiss him before she crawled out of the bed. 

The two arrived back at the academy late that night, both crashing in Scarlett’s room without even bothering to change out of their comfortable traveling clothes. Grant had found the bed first, dropping his duffle at her desk. She’d followed after, still wearing an oversized  _ Shield _ hoodie and leggings as she crawled on top of him. Probably not the most comfortable way to fall asleep but the two were quite content to just be with one another after the crazy holiday week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking every to update! I promise the next chapter will be worth it!

**Author's Note:**

> I ask for one small favor. If you don't like this story as it progresses, then please don't leave any hateful comments. I'm mostly writing this out for a few select friends because it expands on something we've all been poking at via role play. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It's going to be a fun one.


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